Bridge of Taiwan (IV)

To publicize the beauty of Taiwan’s bridges, Chunghwa Post has previously issued three sets of stamps in its “Bridges of Taiwan” series, featuring the bridges of northern, central, and southern Taiwan respectively. Now Chunghwa Post is following up with a fourth set of four stamps on bridges of eastern Taiwan.

Their designs follow:
Lizejian Bridge, Yilan (NT$5): Spanning the Dongshan River, Lizejian Bridge was originally a reinforced concrete bridge named Jiejing (which means “Shortcut”) Bridge. To accommodate water sport competitions at the Dongshan River Water Park, the bridge was rebuilt as a single-arch bridge without any piers and renamed Lizejian Bridge. Opened to traffic in June of 1992, the bridge has a total length of 148 meters, a width of 22 meters, and a top-of-the-arch height of 26 meters. Like a rainbow arching over green water, the bridge has become a Dongshan River landmark.

Taroko Bridge, Hualien (NT$5): The Taroko Bridge has five light-blue steel-arch spans over the Liwu River. The main spans are located in Xiulin Township, Hualien County. Opened to traffic in February of 2002, the bridge is 1,248 meters in length (including 512 meters of steel spans and 736 meters of pre-stressed concrete viaducts) and 20.8 to 29.6 meters in width. The height of its tallest arch is 25 meters. There are four spaces for lifescape sculptures where the main spans meet the viaduct sections of the bridge. Imbued with local character, the beautiful bridge has become one of Hualien’s most recognizable landmarks.

Hongye Bridge, Taitung (NT$12): Spanning the Luye River, Hongye Bridge is located in Hongye Village at 400 meters above sea level. It provides the principal access from the village to Luye Township and Taoyuan Village. Opened to traffic in March of 2000, the bridge has a total length of 133 meters, a width of 10 meters, and a height of 10 meters. The dark-red steel-arch bridge is beautifully set off against the surrounding mountain greenery and murmuring river.

Pudu Bridge, Hualien (NT$15): Spanning the Liwu River, Pudu Bridge, located in the Tianxiang recreation area of the Taroko National Park, is the only footbridge from the Central Cross-Island Highway to the Xiangde Temple. Originally a suspension bridge, it was later rebuilt as a cable-stayed steel one. Completed in October of 2003, the bridge has a total length of 88 meters, a width of 3 meters, and a height of 15 meters. Surrounded by strikingly beautiful green mountains and spanning a spectacular deep gorge, the beauty of Pudu Bridge is heaven sent.

Stamp Issue: 2010-10-20

Technical Monuments - Historic bridge in Písek

The Stone Bridge in Písek (also known as the Stag Bridge) is the oldest still-standing stone bridge in Bohemia. The bridge, spanning the Otava river, was the second stone bridge in Bohemia (after the already not existing Judith bridge in Prague). The exact date of its building is unknown, but the style is gothic. It was first mentioned in writing in 1348 when Charles IV ordered the town councilors to use fines collected in the town for the maintenance of the bridge. A couple of gates with towers protected the bridge as well as the present historic town center on either side. The left-hand tower was destroyed by the flood of 1768, and the other one succumbed to wear and tear in 1825. The bridge is adorned by copies of the original, mostly 18th-century baroque sculptures and the Cavalry. The 6.5m wide structure, slightly bulging up the river, consists of six arches spanning 111 meters, built on pillars with an upward save edge. The normal height above the water level is 5.5m. As one of the few medieval bridges, still standing and used in Central Europe, the stone bridge is a unique rarity.

Stamp Issue: 2010.10.20

Technical Monuments - Cable-stayed bridge in Ústí nad Labem

Cable-stayed bridge - Mariánský Bridge in Ústí nad Labem, designed by the renowned architecture studio Roman Koucký, is one of the most distinctive and disputed projects built in the post-November 1989 Czech Republic. Following years of lengthy discussions about the location of the bridge, the city councilors decided to place it under the Mariánská Rock, a site best suited for the bridge's main role, i.e. combining the city's three quarters - the city center, Krásné Březno on the left bank and Střekov on the right bank of the Labe river. The 70m high bridge was built from 1993 to 1998 and became the city's new dominant. The height is not the only feature attracting the attention of people: the impossible-to-overlook system of steel cables suspending the 170m long bridge is similarly provoking. The architect designed the number of cables, and the height and shape of the pylon not only with respect to static but also to his artistic visions. For instance, the height of the pylon was to counterbalance the Mariánská Rock on the other side of the river. It also matches the height of the tower of the gothic church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary nearby.

According to the Structural Engineering International (SEI), Quarterly Journal of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), it is one of the ten most beautiful 1990s world buildings. It has also become the most expensive local project in the area of transport infrastructure since 1948, financed by a city. The city had to postpone the project of reconstruction of Mírové Square and other projects. Last year the bridge changed its owners: it has become the property of the Road and Motorway Directorate of the Czech Republic since June 26th, 2008.

Stamp Issue: 2010.10.20

Anniversary of Tudela and the monastery of Sant Cugat

With the issue of two stamps commemorating the 1200 anniversary of the founding of Tudela (Navarra) and the Millennium of the monastery of Sant Cugat (Barcelona).

Although there is evidence of the existence of a Roman settlement in Tudela, confirmed by the discovery of the mosaic of The Ramalete, the real founders of the capital of the Bank Merindad the Arabs, namely Ibn al-Muwallad Amrus, a representative of the Emir of Cordoba. The city of Tudela, since its conquest by Alfonso the Battler, highlighted as a model of religious coexistence equilibrium and integrating cultures. It remained to be expelled Jews and Moors in 1498 to 1610.

Stamp Issue: 2002-04-15

200 Anniversary of the Engineering School of Civil Engineering and Port

It commemorates the second anniversary of the founding of the Engineering School of Civil Engineering and Port to issue a souvenir sheet and an independent label. The momentum of public works took on Spain in the early nineteenth century necessitated the creation of the School of Civil Engineering, opened in 1802. The promoter of the idea was Agustin de Betancourt, who is considered father of civil engineering in our country. Born in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife) in 1758. Of good education and with a great capacity for science and mechanical arts, he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, where he acquired a solid knowledge of mathematics, physics and drawing. For his great skill, was entrusted with studying the operation of the mercury mines of Almaden and won a scholarship to study mining engineering in Paris. Their work covers many different areas of science, such as "fire bomb" or steam engine double acting, hydraulic, electrical and optical telegraphy. He performed in major public works of the era and its ideas, outlined in a document of 1803 the Minister of State under the title News about the state of roads and waterways of Spain, became the program of actions for the coming years. In 1807 he left Spain and after passing through Paris was established in St. Petersburg (Russia), where he died in 1824.

Studies of Civil Engineers began in 1802 in the palace of the Buen Retiro (Madrid). In the first group left five students. After several interruptions, in 1834 the school finally opened under the direction of José Agustín de Larramendi. He stepped down Juan Suberco, who expanded and improved the curriculum and raising the scientific level of the station at the height of the most prestigious of the time. In the souvenir sheet, consisting of three stamps, reproduce Tui International Bridge, which links to Valença do Minho (Portugal), Strait Dam Bridge (Lorca) and the Port of Musel (Gijón). In the vignette is a picture of Agustín de Betancourt.

Stamp Issue: 2003-03-21

ARCHITECTURE

The Bizkaia bridge is a striking civil work inaugurated in 1893. Its author was engineer Alberto de Palacio, disciple of Eiffel. It was the first bridge in the world with a transporter suspended above the river. It is an exponent of the iron Architecture and is still in use.

Stamp Issue: 2007-04-26

EXPO ZARAGOZA 2008

The International Exhibition Zaragoza 2008 whose main theme is water and sustainable development will take place in Zaragoza from the 14th June to the 14th September. Correos has already issued a stamp depicting the logo and mascot of the Expo Zaragoza 2008, and on this occasion the stamp in this issue depicts the Bridge-Pavillion and Water Tower (Pabellón Puente and Torre del Agua), two architectural compounds which will be left for posterity as landmarks of this International Exhibition.

The Pabellon Puente (Bridge-Pavillion) is the work of Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid and the engineering company Arup. It is a slim building slightly curved resting on the banks of the river Ebro and a central island in its waters. It has an organic shape that criss-crosses and resembles a gladiola or diamond opening and closing like a natural element. The bridge goes from side to side, on mounds descending gently toward the banks. It is one of the most significant buildings of the exhibition and will allow visitors to access three different exhibition areas providing a smooth transition between the city across ramps planted with gardens and the Conference Centre (Palacio de Congresos). 

Another of the most relevant buildings of the exhibition is the Water Tower (Torre del Agua) work of architect Enrique de Teresa, which will house the exposition “Water for Life”. It is a glass building 76 m. high that looked at from above resembles a drop of water The building has two differentiated areas : base and tower. The base is made up of three floors, two of which are underground and the ground floor above. The base includes the column of the tower, which rises to a height of 70 metres above ground level. The façade comprises a glazed curtain wall and at the entrance there’s a water fountain and a sculpture called “Splash“. 

Stamp Issue: 2008-02-22

EXPO ZARAGOZA 2008

The souvenir sheet is made up of three stamps and depicts an aerial view of the scale model of the Expo compound. One of the stamps depicts de Pabellón-Puente (Bridge-Pavilion) with a slender, organic, pleated shape which is one of the main entrances to the Exhibition. On the left hand side stands one of the six Themed Plazas on Aquatic inspirations. This space is located between the Bridge Pavilion and the Third Millennium Bridge. It is the only Themed Plaza where a large-scale show will take place instead of an exhibition. It is a shell shaped building with a bioclimatic design specially made to host the show “El Hombre Vertiente“. The other five Themed Plazas are built along the banks of the Ebro River and are called: Extreme water, recreating a breaking wave, aiming at making visitors conscientious of the perils of water; the Thirst Plaza gives a new perspective to thirst by portraying it as progress and the driving force behind the development of extraordinary techniques, culture and knowledge. The Oikos, water and energy plaza is an exposition facility in the open air (mostly) designed to show the visitor that it is possible to transform and store energy using the technology we have available in a manner that shows respect for the environment, is cheap, available to everyone, and which maintains our level of well-being. The Cities of Water Plaza is an exposition installation, with no walls, and its contents are visible from outside. Its main process refers to water as an “urban resource”, underlining the great value of this natural element in the process of improving quality of life in cities. The importance of a change of attitude among citizens to revalue the relationship of water in the city is highlighted. The last of the plazas, Shared water is structured in five different parts and encourages new thinking on shared water management. On the background of the souvenir sheet are depicted pavilions and infrastructures of the Expo.

Stamp Issue: 2008-07-04

ARQUITECTURA 2009

The Puente de los Tilos, is a bridge built by engineers Santiago Pérez-Fadón Martinez and José Emilio Herrero Beneítez and their team near San Andrés y Sauces in the island of La Palma (Canary Islands). It was inaugurated on the 18th December 2004 and it consists of a 255m span arch. The arch and spandrel piers are made of high resistance concrete. The length of the bridge is 357 m and stands more than 150m high over the del Agua gully. With this bridge, the authors broke the span record in the building of concrete arches in Spain.

The Canal de Castilla is one of the most important civil engineering constructions in Spain. It was built as a means of communication for the region of Tierra de Campos so that agricultural produce could be transported along the canal to the northern sea ports. It was finished by 1849 and has an inverted Y shape with a total length of 270 km running through the provinces of Palencia, Burgos and Valladolid. With the arrival of the train, the canal lost its purpose as a means of communication and became an irrigation channel in 1909. Since 1972 the Hydrographic Confederation of the Duero River is in charge of its management and maintenance.

 Stamp Issue: 2009-09-09

Girder bridge

The next issue of the series “Architectural constructions. Bridges” is devoted to the girder bridges. Bridges with frameworks, the main load-carrying structures of which are beams or girders, are the most widespread in a modern bridge building. They are used in complex road interchanges. Distinctive feature of the girder system is that only vertical loads are transferred from the bridge superstructures to the piers and horizontal one are absent. Load transfer is carried out by a flexural element of a construction. Bridge structure depends on the size of overlapping of superstructures, the load on the bridge and the intensity of movement.

Depicted on the stamps:  

1. Jubilee Bridge over the River Volga in Yaroslavl 
2. Bridge across the Moscow Canal in the village Khlebnikovo Moscow region 
3. Viaduct over the valley of the river Matsesta in Sochi 
4. Bridge across the Kola Bay in Murmansk. 

Stamp Issue: 2010.09.15