On the River Sludwia (left tributary of the River Bzura), in the town of Maurzyce, west of Lowicz, is the location of a historic road bridge built in 1929 by the engineer Stefan Bryla. Next to the bridge on the busy international route stands the prominent, old and unused bridge. This historic construction is unique and an example of Polish engineering skills.

It is the world’s first welded road bridge. Its creator was Stefan Bryla, a civil engineer and welding specialist and a Professor at the Warsaw University of Technology. The bridge quickly convinced investors as to the widespread use of welding techniques in building. Construction was much quicker and the total weight was reduced as previous projects of this type involved the use of rivets and bolts. The bridge in Maurzyce is 27m long and only weighs about 55 tons.

The bridge proved too small for the amount of traffic on this international road so it was removed from use and declared a historical site. Recently it was renovated and now encourages people to stop and admire this construction. There is another interesting site nearby – the Lowicki Ethnographic Park in Maurzyce.

Welded Bridge in Maurzyce (woj. Lodzkie)

www.powiat.lowicz.pl