Magere Brug

Your visit to the city of Amsterdam will remain incomplete unless you check out the skinny bridge. Known locally as the Magre Brug, this bridge has a long and chequered history. It lies in the center of the city and crosses over the Amstel River.

The bridge, made of white colored wood, as it stands now, was constructed in 1934. However, the original bridge was constructed way back in 1691 and boasted of thirteen arches. You might well wonder how this bridge derived its name. The reason behind this is due to its minuscule width.

After being used for many years, the condition of the original bridge deteriorated and it had to be demolished in the year 1871. It was replaced by a nine arched wooden bridge which itself did not last for long and needed to be replaced after being in use for fifty years.

There were plans to construct a steel bridge in its place, but the citizens who wanted the new bridge to be a replica of the old one did not accept these plans.

It was keeping these sentiments in mind that a new bridge was constructed that looked just like the original one, but boasted of more width. Since 2003, the usage of this bridge is limited to cyclists and pedestrians.

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