Under the Fragnée bridge - Sous le pont de Fragnée

Important notice : to perceive the surprising relief of this panorama, it is absolutely necessary to carry stereoscopic anaglyphic glasses (red and cyan glasses).

Inaugurated on July 26th, 1904, the «pont de Fragnée» is certainly the most prestigious heritage of the World Fair (Exposition Universelle) of 1905. It enabled travellers coming from the Guillemins station to reach directly the Fair grounds.
The production of the metal structure of the bridge was attributed to John Cockerill's company. The bridge is composed of three spans, each formed of 6 flattened arches. The total weight was 1,810 Tons for a length, abutments included, of 175 metre. The structure was assembled on March 12th, 1904.
What the decoration is concerned, the Alexander III Bridge in Paris was used as a model. On the two sides, the bridge entrances are ornated with 2 granite pylons, topped with statues called the Renowned.

Important crossing point on the Meuse River, the bridge was the victim of the second German invasion, during the second world war. After the conflict, it was reconstructed following the original drawings, but the bridge was lengthened from 16 to 17.20 meter.
Since 1993, the metal parts have been cleaned, sandblasted and repainted. The approaches to the bridge have been redesigned and lighting of the monument was conceived by Brittany artist Yan Kersalé.
Protected as historical landmark since March 1994, the Fragnée Bridge has now recoverd its full glory from the turn of the twentieth century.

Another panorama realized for the Wrinkle in Time in 2000: the Fragnée bridge by night
More information about the "Exposition Universelle" of 1905 on the website of Fabrice Muller (in French).

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Europe / Belgium

Lat: 50° 37' 14.9" N
Long: 5° 34' 40.8" E

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: Unknown / Undeclared.

Taken with a Minolta Dimage 7Hi digital camera, 28-200 mm 2.8 lens at 28 mm (equiv. 135). Mounted on a Kaidan QuickPan Spherical Arm on Manfrotto QTVR Kit 302 Head and Tripod. 64 (2x 32) images stitched with Realviz Stitcher 4.0.2