Stone arch
4,533 blocks.
Larsvr6 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Julien Maury — Public domain · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Loxy!! from Vancouver, Canada — CC BY 2.0 · Ajznponar — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Solkan Bridge is a stone arch railway bridge across the Soča river near Nova Gorica in western Slovenia, about 2.5 km in a straight line north of the town. It is about 220 m long, with a main arch spanning 85 m, making it the world's longest stone arch railway bridge and the second-longest stone arch bridge of any kind, after Germany's Syratal Viaduct. It was built in 1904 and 1905 for the Bohinj Railway linking Jesenice with Gorizia, and officially opened in 1906. It was designed by the architect Rudolf Jaussner and the engineer Leopold Oerley; the arch was first planned at 80 m and widened to 85 m because of soft ground, and 4,533 stone blocks went into it. The original bridge was destroyed in 1916 and rebuilt in a very similar form, the work finishing in 1927, with four smaller side arches instead of five. Trains still cross it today, high above the river's emerald-green water. The finest views are from the banks of the Soča or from the road bridge next to it, ideally while a train passes over. Visiting is free, and it combines well with the Soča valley and the nearby Goriška Brda hills.
4,533 blocks.
Emerald water.
Still cross it.
Solkan, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Yes.
From the riverbanks or the road bridge beside it.