Historic bridge from 1928 may be put on the UNESCO list

The bridge in Maurzyce, 27 m long and 6.8 m wide, on the small Słudwia River near Łowicz (Warsaw - Poznań route), is an absolute rarity in road engineering. The world's first welded road bridge designed by an outstanding Polish engineer, Prof. Stefan Bryła.

The structure, which was created in 1928, was a true technical revolution for its time, arousing the admiration of engineers from all over the world, who flocked to visit the new facility. Thanks to Professor Bryła's solutions (welding instead of the then common riveting), it was possible to reduce the weight of the structure from 70 to 56 tons. For the economy of the developing country, this meant incredible savings in both materials and time.

The crossing was badly damaged during World War II. After the war, it was renovated and served drivers until the late 1970s, when it was decommissioned due to its low capacity.

Today, it can be seen when traveling along the so-called "old route" from Warsaw to Poznań (DK92). It is located about 4 km beyond Łowicz, traveling towards Poznań.

The creator of the bridge - prof. Stefan Bryła - is an outstanding figure of interwar Poland. One of the most outstanding engineers, a pioneer of welding, an architect, and the author of about 250 scientific works, textbooks and articles.

One of the most famous projects of Professor Bryła is the Prudential building in Warsaw, the first pre-war skyscraper (the tallest building in Poland in the 1930s). The works of Professor Bryła also include the buildings of the National Museum, the Main Post Office, the Navy building, and the halls of the Steam Locomotive Factory in Warsaw.

What will the procedure regarding the bridge look like? The application, together with the justification, must go to the General Conservator of Monuments, and then, after obtaining the opinion of the National Heritage Institute, it will be presented to the Council for the Protection of Monuments, from where it will go to the President of the Republic of Poland. The next step will be to have it entered on the UNESCO list.

It is worth noting that only one bridge has been included on the List of Historical Monuments of the President of the Republic of Poland so far - in Ozimek on the Mała Panew River.