A fascinating and captivating portrait of the winter viaduct in Bolesławiec was prepared by journalist Andrzej Stefańczyk. In 2021, the onet.pl website prepared a ranking of the most beautiful bridges in Poland. The Bolesławiec viaduct ranked eighth
The description of the Bolesławiec viaduct was prepared for us by history enthusiast and regionalist Paweł Skiersienis.
At a time when railway construction was becoming a key element of development, the crossing over the Bóbr River was one of the major challenges on the route to connecting Berlin with Wrocław. It was the Lower Silesian Railway Company, which began work in 1843, that was tasked with fulfilling this ambition. Fryderyk Engelhardt Gansel, a renowned architect from Bolesławiec, emerged as the project leader.
To secure the investment, Gansel had to pay 8,000 thalers. He therefore decided to take out a loan, using his house as collateral.
Construction of the viaduct began on 17 May 1844. The first test run was carried out as early as 5 July 1846, and on 17 September 1846 the structure was ceremonially opened by King Frederick William IV of Prussia, who arrived in Bolesławiec with his wife.
The construction of the railway line in the 19th century had a major impact on the society and economy of the region. Six hundred workers were employed at the Bolesławiec viaduct. One hundred people were involved in building the scaffolding alone, and the wooden structure enabling the construction work cost 60,000 thalers.
A post office was established next to the railway station, which not only improved mail delivery but also demonstrated how important this place was as a communications hub. Thanks to the Bóbr Valley Railway, small towns such as Bolesławiec and Jelenia Góra gained new opportunities through connections with Wrocław and Berlin. Within a few years, the towns grew in importance, and their residents began to benefit from faster transport.
The most interesting aspect of this entire undertaking is the statistics, which confirm the scale of the investment involved in constructing the crossing over the Bóbr River.
The completed viaduct is 26 metres high, 490 metres long and 8 metres wide. Of its 35 arches, the 7 widest are located above the Bóbr River; they are 15 metres wide. The 20 central arches have a span of 11.3 metres, while the 8 outer ones measure 5.65 metres.
The structure has piers 3.75 metres thick, as well as smaller ones ranging from 3.15 to 2.5 metres. The building material was obtained from a quarry in Dobra. A total of 33,400 m³ of stone was used [na podstawie A. Bober, Czas Bolesławiecki, nr 2/1.10.1998].
For the excellent execution of the viaduct’s construction, architect Gansel received the Order of the Red Eagle from Frederick William IV. It was one of the most important Prussian decorations, second in rank only to the Order of the Black Eagle.
The successful Bolesławiec investment cost a total of 400,000 thalers. To this day, it can be admired as a remarkable engineering structure.