The Sturovo-Ostrihom Bridge

The Sturovo-Ostrihom Bridge, originally the Bridge of Maria Valeria, was built in 1895 as the third of the series of bridges dedicated to the Habsburg Dynasty at the Hungarian bank of the Danube river.

After the laying up because of destruction, the bridge was being reconstructed from 1919 up to 1927, but later ruined again at Christmas in 1944 as retraining German troops blew the three middle parts of the bridge up, whereupon the two supporting pillars were seriously damaged.
This war torso persisted at the Danube river for 56 years until the Slovak Republic and Hungary signed the international agreement on common restoration with the crucial financial help of EU.

The Sturovo-Ostrihom Bridge will enable constant connections across the border and contribute to the socio-economic development of contiguous Danube regions. At the same time, this work of renovation becomes a stable symbol of connecting and unifying of the European nations.

Stamp Issue: 2001-10-11