Stádlec chain bridge

The bridge was originally built over the Vltava River in Podolsk, on the road leading from Tábor to Písek, in places where there used to be an old ferry. It happened between 1847 and 1848 and its construction was taken over by the company of Vojtěch Lanny. He served here for a total of 113 years and was located on a strategic trade route leading from Bavaria to Galicia. The chain bridge in Podolsko stood until 1960, when it was dismantled as a monument and transferred to the village of Stádlec. The bridge was moved before the Orlická dam was filled, and a total of 13 sites were then proposed where the chain bridge could be rebuilt, and even a proposal to buy it from abroad came, which was fortunately rejected.

The location near the Markov mill near Stádlec was therefore chosen for the construction of the bridge, and despite the fact that all parts were carefully marked during the dismantling, its reconstruction was not an easy task at all. It was assembled in 1974 and was in operation again in the same year.

The supporting structure consists of four chains, arranged in two pairs, each of which has a vertical spacing of 43 cm. The chains rest on two stone pylons in the shape of gates, measuring 4 x 9 x 10 cm. The bridge consists of two thousand blocks and 1,100 steel parts weighing 102 tons. Between the gates, the bridge has a span of 91 m and the pylons are 10.25 m high. The width of the bridge deck is 6.4 m and is formed by wooden bridges laid at a height of 5 m above the river. Vehicles with a weight exceeding 1 tonne and a width greater than 2 m are prohibited from entering the bridge.

Shortly after it was reassembled, the film The Smoke of the Potato Stem was filmed on the bridge, and it was also briefly captured in the film The Ride.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová