[Original] Constantinople. Le Pont de Galata [end]
The Galata Bridge, in its many incarnations, has been featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels. The oldest recorded bridge to be built over the Golden Horn was in 1453 during the Turkish siege of the city. In 1502-03, design sketches were made by Leonardo da Vinci (however, technical drawbacks halted the project) and Michelangelo (who rejected the proposal). It wasn't until 1845 that the first Galata Bridge was constructed by the mother of Sultan Abdulmecid -- it was used for 18 years. The Cisr-i Cedid or New Bridge was replaced by a second wooden bridge in 1863, built on the orders of Sultan Abdulaziz in preparation for the visit by Napoleon III. A third bridge was completed in 1875, and used until 1912, when it was pulled upstream. The fourth Galata Bridge was built in 1912, by the German Man firm, that was badly damaged in a fire in 1992. 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.  |
