The World of Bridges

We visit China's most famous Wind and Rain Bridge and the Ponte dei Salti in the Verzasca Valley that literally dates back to the Roman era.

The Millau Viaduct in the south of France is one of the highest bridge structures in the world while the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which stands high over the River Dee in northeast Wales, was built in the 19th century.

One of the most impressive steel bridges in the world can be found in Calcutta: the Howrah Bridge. Its predecessor is the Forth Bridge across the Firth of Forth, near the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.

The Great Seto Bridge in Japan and the Victoria Falls Bridge in Zimbabwe have more than one thing in common: they were built on dreams and are the only train connections between the two regions.

The steelworks that symbolized the industrialization of 19th century England forged the material that was vital for entirely new types of bridge constructions. These revolutionary techniques were tried and tested in the United Kingdom before being exported to the far reaches of the Empire.

The Ponte dei Salti in the Verzasca Valley in Ticino literally dates back to the Roman era. During its lifetime, it was used above all by shepherds taking their herds to the higher Alps. Today, it is a major draw for tourists, who jump down from the bridge into the crystal-clear mountain waters.