A tram and a car at the entrance portal of the iron Kierbedź Bridge
German soldiers on the Royal Castle terrace looking at the Kierbedź Bridge and Praga
The surviving span of the blown-up Kierbedź Bridge before its demolition
The new Śląsko-Dąbrowski Bridge shortly after its opening, with a crane still standing
Traffic on the East–West Route ramp leading to the bridge below the Old Town
The bridge seen from above, leading towards Praga and St Florian's Cathedral
Drone view of the whole bridge across the Vistula, 2024
The Kierbedź Bridge, Warsaw's first permanent bridge over the Vistula, was built in 1859–1864 to a design by Stanisław Kierbedź as a long iron lattice truss carrying road traffic and trams. It was blown up by the retreating Russians in 1915 and rebuilt, then destroyed by the Germans in September 1944. On its old piers a new steel girder bridge, named Śląsko-Dąbrowski, was built in 1947–1949 as part of the East–West Route and opened in July 1949. It still carries cars and trams between the Old Town and Praga.