Aerial view of the Galata Bridge looking from Eminönü to Karaköy. To the left the Golden Horn, to the right the Bosporus.

Bridges have a special fascination for people and tend to acquire their own stories and legends. This is true of Istanbul, where bridges have found their way into folklore and become a treasured feature of the urban landscape. Galata Bridge File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This article is about the edifice. ... This article is about the city. ...

Therefore to treat the Galata Bridge (in Turkish Galata Köprüsü) over the Golden Horn merely from the historic angle would be misleading. This bridge has not only been a means of getting from one side of the waterway to the other, but like a fellow citizen has had symbolic and spiritual significance in people's lives. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature; in theater, poetry and novels. Above all in the latter medium there is hardly a novelist, including Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpinar and Ahmet Rasim, who has not mentioned this bridge. The Golden Horn from the southern or Constantinople shore, with the skyline of modern Istanbul on the far shore The Golden Horn (in Turkish Haliç, in Greek Khrysokeras or Chrysoceras or Χρυσοκερας) is an estuary dividing the city of Istanbul. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The history of Turkish Literature may be divided into three periods, reflecting the history of Turkish civilization as follows: the period up to the adoption of Islam, the Islamic period and the period under western influence. ...

History

The oldest recorded bridge in Istanbul was built over the Golden Horn in 1453 during the Turkish siege of the city. In the years 1502-1503 plans to construct a permanent bridge here were discussed, and with this object a design sketch was made by Leonardo da Vinci showing a single span bridge with double pillars at either end, 350 m long and 24 m wide. However, technical drawbacks made it impossible to realize this project, and another Italian artist, Michelangelo was invited to design a bridge for Istanbul. Michelangelo rejected the proposal, and the idea of building a bridge here was shelved until the 19th century. Events May 29 - Fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). ... The 1453 Siege of Constantinople (painted 1499) The Fall of Constantinople was the conquest of that Greek city by the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan Mehmed II, on Tuesday, May 29, 1453. ... Events January 1 - Portuguese explorers sailed into Guanabra Bay, Brazil and mistook it for the mouth of a river which they named Rio de Janeiro May 9 - Christopher Columbus leaves Spain for his fourth and final trip to the New World. May 21 - Portuguese discover island of St Helena. ... Events January 20 - Seville in Castile is awarded exclusive right to trade with the New World. ... Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian Renaissance architect, musician, anatomist, inventor, engineer, sculptor, geometer, and painter. ... This page is about the artist. ...

Hayratiye

In the early 19th century Mahmut II (1808-1839) had a bridge built at some distance up the waterway between Azapkapi and Unkapani. This bridge, known as the Hayratiye (Benefaction in English), was opened on September 3, 1836. The project was carried out by Deputy Lord High Admiral Fevzi Ahmet Pasa using the workers and facilities of the naval arsenal. According to the History of Lutfi this bridge was built on linked pontoons and was around 500 to 540 m long. Sultan Mahmud II Mahmud II (July 20, 1785–July 1, 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death. ... 1808 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... This article discusses the rank/title used in the Ottoman Empire. ... A pontoon bridge Pontoon bridges are floating bridges supported by floating pontoons with sufficient buoyancy to support the bridge and dynamic loads. ...

Cisr-i Cedid

The first Galata Bridge at the mouth of the waterway was constructed in 1845 by Valide Sultan, the mother of Sultan Abdulmecid (1839-1861) and used for 18 years. It was known as the Cisr-i Cedid or New Bridge to distinguish it from the earlier bridge further up the Golden Horn, which became known as the Cisr-i Atik or Old Bridge. 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Ottoman Empire developed a highly advanced organisation of state over the centuries. ... Sultan Abdul Mejid I Abd-ul-Mejid (April 23, 1823 – June 25, 1861) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on July 2, 1839. ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

On the Karaköy side of the bridge, there was an inscription as a couplet by poet Sinasi saying that the New Bridge was built by Abdulmecid Han. First to pass over the bridge was Sultan Abdulmecid, and the first to pass below it was the French captain Magnan in his ship the Cygne. Inscriptions are words or letters written, engraved, painted, or otherwise traced on a surface and can appear in contexts both small and monumental. ... A couplet is a pair of lines of verse that form a unit. ...

Toll

For the first three days crossing the bridge was free, after which a toll known as mürüriye was paid to the Naval Ministry. Toll collecting started on November 25, 1845 and the toll was charged: The word toll has several meanings. ...

• Free: military and law enforcement personnel, fire fighters on duty, clergy,
• 5 para: pedestrians,
• 10 para: backpacker people,
• 20 para: backpacker animals,
• 100 para: horse carriages,
• 3 para: sheep, goat or other animals

Toll was collected until May 31, 1930 by officials in white uniform standing on both ends of the bridge. Lira is the name of the monetary unit of a number of countries, as well as the former currency of Italy, San Marino and the Vatican City. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

The second bridge

This bridge was replaced by a second wooden bridge in 1863, built by Ethem Pertev Pasa on the orders of Sultan Abdulaziz (1861-1876) in readiness for the visit of Napoleon III to Istanbul. 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz Abd-ul-aziz (February 9, 1830 – 1876) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1861 to May 30, 1876. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (April 20, 1808, Paris - January 9, 1873, Chislehurst, Kent, England) was a President of France, and later, Emperor of the French. ...

The third bridge

In 1870 a contract was signed with a French company, Forges et Chantiers de la Mediteranée for construction of a third bridge, but the outbreak of war between France and Germany delayed the project, which was given instead to a British firm G. Wells in 1872. This bridge, completed in 1875, was 480 m long and 14 m wide and rested on 24 pontoons. It was built at a cost of 105,000 gold liras. This was used until 1912, when it was pulled upstream to replace the now genuinely old Cisr-i Atik Bridge. 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Franco-Prussian War (July 19, 1870 – May 10, 1871) was fought between France and Prussia (backed by the North German Confederation) allied with the south German states of Baden, Bavaria and Württemberg. ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Lira is the name of the monetary unit of a number of countries, as well as the former currency of Italy, San Marino and the Vatican City. ... 1912 is a leap year starting on Monday. ...

The fourth bridge

The fourth Galata Bridge was built in 1912 by the German firm MAN AG for 350,000 gold liras. This floating bridge was 466 m long and 25 m wide. It is the bridge still familiar to many people today that was badly damaged in a fire in 1992 and towed up the Golden Horn to make way for the modern bridge now in use. A pontoon bridge Pontoon bridges are floating bridges supported by floating pontoons with sufficient buoyancy to support the bridge and dynamic loads. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Today

The fifth Galata bridge was built by the Turkish construction company STFA exactly on the same place of the previous bridge, between Karaköy and Eminönü, and completed in December 1994. It is a bascule bridge, ranking first of its type in the world which is 490 m long with a main span of 80 m. The deck of the bridge is 42 m wide and has three vehicular lanes and one walkway in each direction. It has also recently had tram tracks added to it, allowing the Istanbul Tram to run from the suburbs near Ataturk International Airport to a few blocks before Dolmabahçe Palace. 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Tower Bridge, a double leaf bascule, opening A bascule bridge is a drawbridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or leaf, throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic. ... A modern tram in the Töölö district of Helsinki, Finland a historic postcard showing electric-powered trolley streetcars in Richmond, Virginia, where Frank J. Sprague successfully demonstrated his new system on the hills in 1888 For modern innovations aimed at increasing the capacity and speed of tramway systems, see light... Atatürk International Airport in Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. ... A view of the Dolmabahçe from the Bosphorus with modern Istanbul in the background The Dolmabahçe Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı) is a palace in Istanbul, located at the western, European, side of the Bosphorus. ...

Culture

The Galata Bridge was a symbolic link between the traditional city of Istanbul proper, site of the imperial palace and principal religious and secular institutions of the empire, and the districts of Galata, Beyoglu, Sisli and Harbiye where a large proportion of the inhabitants were non-Muslims and where foreign merchants and diplomats lived and worked. In this respect the bridge bonded these two distinctive cultures. As Peyami Safa said in his novel, Fatih-Harbiye, a person who went from Fatih to Harbiye via the bridge set foot in a different civilization and different culture. Apart from its place in fiction, the romantic appearance of the Galata Bridge made it a subject of many paintings and engravings. Galata or Galatae is a district in Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey. ... Pera was a suburb of Constantinople, located north of the Golden Horn, and is now part of the Istanbul district of Galata. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ...

All daily city tours in Istanbul include this bridge as it's the passageway to the Old City of Constantinople. Map of Constantinople. ...

External links

• Live traffic camera pictures (http://www.ibb.gov.tr/istanbultr/310/c_2_3.htm)