Saint Servaasbridge, Maastricht

Sint Servaasbrug is an arched stone footbridge across the Meuse River in Maastricht, Netherlands. It is named after Saint Servatius, the first bishop of Maastricht, and it has been called the oldest bridge in the Netherlands.DescriptionThe Sint Servaasbrug connects pedestrian traffic from the Binnenstad district of Maastricht on the west bank of the Meuse (the most central part of the city) to the Wyck district on the east bank.The bridge is made of limestone, and in its current configuration it is 160m long and 9m wide. Its seven arches each span approximately 12m, and are supported by seven piers. A separate steel drawbridge with a span of 54.5m connects the east end of the bridge to the east bank of the river.HistoryThe Romans built a wooden bridge across the Meuse in what is now Maastricht, in approximately AD 50, and the Latin phrase for "crossing of the Meuse", "mosae trajectum", became the name of the city. For many years this remained the only crossing of the lower Meuse. However, the Roman bridge collapsed in the year 1275 from the weight of a large procession, killing 400 people. Its replacement, the present bridge, was built somewhat to the north of the older crossing between 1280 and 1298; The Roman Catholic Church encouraged its construction by providing indulgences to people who helped build it. The bridge was accoladed in honor of Saint Servatius around this time.