Kładka Piaskowa, Wrocław

Kładka Piaskowa is a pedestrian bridge over the Młyn Maria Canal, joining Piasek Island to Słodowa Island. Built in 2002, it is a contemporary link in Wrocław’s web of waterways and islands. Follow the line of the deck across the canal: the bridge measures 109.28 metres from end to end, but is just 3.20 metres wide.

Its proportions suit a crossing made for walkers, not traffic. The apparently simple route rests on a serious steel structure. Three welded box girders form the main support, dividing the bridge into three spans.

At both ends, reinforced-concrete ramps and stairways bring people up to the deck. Steel carries the passage over water; concrete shapes the arrival and departure. This compact crossing makes the geography of Wrocław tangible.

The city lies on the Oder and four of its tributaries, and the islands here are part of that river-made landscape. Kładka Piaskowa gives you a direct connection between two of them, over one narrow canal.