There’s something magical about bridges. From the earliest fallen log that enabled hunters to cross a river, to the newest high-tech constructions spanning wide valleys and busy harbours, bridges seize our imagination and lead us to places we couldn’t otherwise go.

Some bridges are instantly recognizable. A movie can start with a shot of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the viewer knows right away that they’re in San Francisco. These towers and girders are familiar to many people who will never go to California.

 Picture credit: Niels Bosboom

Near Covadonga in Spain, this ancient bridge, built by the Romans, is still standing. Although overgrown, the solid construction has withstood hundreds of years of drought, flooding and everyday use.

Another Roman structure, the Pont Du Gard in France, has survived the centuries, despite medieval masons helping themselves to stones. The bottom level is a road (with a more modern bridge next to it), while the top level is an aqueduct. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Picture credit: Radomil

 The Ponte Vecchio (which translates as “Old Bridge”) in Florence, Italy, is a good example of what was once a common practice: building on top of bridges. Construction space was at a premium in cities, and many bridges had houses or even shops built across them. Here the buildings even project beyond the sides of the bridge, supported on precarious-looking beams.

Picture credit: Bernard bill5

The city of Venice has perhaps had more need of bridges than almost anywhere in the world. Well known as a tourist destination, the beautiful Bridge of Sighs connects the Doge’s Palace to the prison cells. The story goes that prisoners on their way to the jail would look through the stone-barred windows and sigh at their last view of the outside world.

Picture credit: Simon Koopmann

The Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge) in Lucerne, Switzerland, is Europe’s oldest covered wooden bridge. Built in 1333, it contains a series of paintings between the roof supports, showing the history of the city. Although part of the bridge was damaged by fire in 1993, it was quickly rebuilt and restored.

Picture credit: ionushi

 At the other end of the scale, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan is the world’s longest suspension bridge. With a main span of 1991 meters, and a total length of almost 4 kilometers (2.5 miles), the bridge forms part of a highway connecting the islands of Honshu and Shikoku.

Picture credit: Hennessy

Different cultures around the world have their own building styles, and this applies to bridges as much as it does to houses or public buildings. The Gaoliang Bridge, or Jade Belt Bridge, in China, was built between 1751 and 1764. The distinctive shape is in part due to the fact that it was designed to allow the Emperor’s Dragon Boat to pass underneath.

Picture credit: Matilda

Bridges not only have to transport people or vehicles from one side to another; they may also have to allow river or sea traffic underneath. Designers and engineers have come up with ingenious solutions. This bridge over the Murray River in Australia is constructed so that the central span is lifted using counterweights to allow river traffic to pass safely underneath.

Picture credit: Chris73

Around the world there are many bridges known as “The Devil’s Bridge”; this example is on the St Gotthard pass in Switzerland. The original bridge was part of a road that wound around the hillside; the new road is simply drilled through the rock face. Many of these “Devil’s Bridges” have similar stories attached to them, usually that the bridge was too difficult to build, so the Devil offered to help in return for the first soul to cross the bridge. In many versions, the Devil is outwitted by a wise old man or woman, who makes a dog cross the bridge before anyone else.

There are few places in the world where you won’t need to cross a bridge at some time. As you do, think of all those other bridges around the world, some ordinary, some magnificent, some ancient, some brand new, all part of humanity’s quest for travel and exploration.