The first thing that came to my mind, when I
cross the Tagus River through the "25 de Abril" bridge, was its
similarity to San Francisco's Golden Gate. Consequently, I decided to
investigate if they were sister bridges.
I researched and found that the structure of the "25 de Abril" bridge wasn't inspired by the famous Golden Gate. The latter, was constructed in 1937, its conception was from the visionary architect Joseph Strauss. The art deco design of the bridge was conceived by the designer Leon Moisseiff and the construction was commissioned to the McClintic-Marshall Construction Co. On the other hand, the "25 de Abril" bridge was constructed in 1966 during the government of the Portuguese dictator António Salazar. In his honor the given name to the construction was the Salazar Bridge.
I researched and found that the structure of the "25 de Abril" bridge wasn't inspired by the famous Golden Gate. The latter, was constructed in 1937, its conception was from the visionary architect Joseph Strauss. The art deco design of the bridge was conceived by the designer Leon Moisseiff and the construction was commissioned to the McClintic-Marshall Construction Co. On the other hand, the "25 de Abril" bridge was constructed in 1966 during the government of the Portuguese dictator António Salazar. In his honor the given name to the construction was the Salazar Bridge.
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| 25 de Abril Bridge, Lisbon |
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| San Francisco's Golde Gate bridge |
The American Bridge Co. was commissioned to
construct the "25 de Abril" bridge. Its structure was inspired by the
Bay Bridge that connects San Francisco to Oakland. This bridge was conceived to
resist earthquakes. Likewise, the 25 de Abril bridge is located in seismic
area. That's why it was erected with a similar design.
The Salazar Bridge's name was changed after the
Carnation Revolution in 1974. This was a peaceful military and civilian
movement that sacked the dictator of power. The revolution concluded on April
25th, with the instauration of a democracy in Portugal. The "25 de
Abril" bridge is recognized for being the 23th largest suspension bridge
in the world with a total span of 1,013 meters.
At the Tangus River left margin, close to the “25
de Abril” bridge can be found the parish of Almada. In this place the Christ
the King statue was erected in 1959.Jesus' posture with his open arms resembles
the Christian cross as a symbol of Christianity and the greatness of Jesus, who
protects and loves all his sons around the world.
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| Christ The King statue, Lisbon |
In 1934 Dom Manuel Cardenal Gonçalves 14th
Cardinal Patriach of Lisbon visited Rio de Janeiro. The Cardinal got very
impress with the Cristo Redentor monument inaugurated in 1931 on top of the
Corcovado Mountain. Therefore, he gave the idea of constructing in Lisbon a
similar statue. However, it wasn't until 1949 that the construction started. In
1959 the statue was officially opened.
Some
people argue that the "Cristo Rei" was made in commemoration of the
fact that Portugal didn't got involved
in the WW II. However, is known that
this isn't the real reason. Because the project of constructing a Christ Statue
was already in process before the war started.
If you have seeing similar monuments or
buildings around the world as the example mentioned above, write a comment
about it here! This can be a cool exercise where we can learn about interesting
connections between different cities around the world.
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| Cristo Redentor, Rio de Janeiro |
