The Bridge · 2 min read

The Brick Bridge, Built in 1874 and Still Carrying Traffic

164 metres of red brick across the Venta, and as far as anyone has worked out, the longest of its kind in Europe.

The old bridge over the Venta was finished in 1874, and at 164 metres it’s reckoned to be the longest brick road bridge of its kind in Europe. It isn’t a monument behind a rope either. Cars still cross it, and so will you, probably several times, if you stay on this side of the river.

Pale and pinkish at midday, deep red for the last half hour before sunset.

What’s worth doing is walking it slowly. The arches look better from the bank than from the deck, and the brick changes colour completely depending on the hour: pale and pinkish at midday, deep red for the last half hour before sunset, when the whole span reflects in the water.

The bridge and the waterfall sit within sight of each other, so most people end up doing both in one walk. Cross the bridge, follow the far bank downstream, and you get the view that ends up on every postcard of the town: the arches on the left, the wide shelf of the falls on the right.

In spring the water can run high enough to change the whole picture, with the arches sitting much closer to the surface than they do in August.

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