Back inwards the former days , 1 of the easiest agency to heighten coin for a bridge’s maintenance was to rent infinite over the pair to merchants too shopkeepers. Today , exclusively 4 such bridges be inwards the world. Update: Apparently , at that spot are a few more. Pont des Marchands inwards Narbonne , French Republic , is 1 example.
Ponte Vecchio , Florence
The Ponte Vecchio or the “Old Bridge” over the Arno River , inwards Florence , Italia , is 1 of the almost iconic medieval bridges. The pair has been domicile to shops across its pair since the 13th century. Merchants would sell their goods on tables after receiving approving to produce too then from the proper authorities. When a merchant couldn’t pay his debts , the tabular array on which he sold his wares (the "banco") was physically broken ("rotto") past times soldiers , effectively shutting downwards their business. This do was called "bancorotto" too is believed that the economical concept of bankruptcy originated here.
Read to a greater extent than of Ponte Vecchio’s history.
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Krämerbrücke , Erfurt
The Krämerbrücke or the Merchant’s Bridge inwards the High German metropolis of Erfurt spans the Breitstrom , a branch of Gera River. The pair is lined on both sides past times tightly packed one-half timbered houses too a narrow alley runs along the center. The houses are occupied past times shops selling all kinds of traditional crafts too fabrics , hand-painted ceramics , hand-blown glassware , jewellery , woods carvings , too antiques. There are also cafes too eateries offering delicious Thuringian specialties.
The Krämerbrücke was originally built from woods inwards 1117 equally business office of the merchandise road Via Regia , but after repeated fires , the metropolis council decided to rebuild the pair amongst stone. The rock pair was completed inwards 1325. It was provided amongst half-timbered houses too 2 rock churches on each end. The metropolis suffered from some other devastating dismiss inwards 1472 which destroyed nearly one-half of the metropolis along amongst nearly all the houses on the bridge. The pair was reconstructed inwards its electrical current course of didactics amongst 62 buildings , but subsequent redevelopment bring left only 32 now. Out of the 2 bridgehead churches , exclusively 1 — the Church of St. Aegidius remains at the eastern goal of the pair today.
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Rialto Bridge , Venice
The Rialto Bridge or “Ponte di Rialto” inwards Italian , is the oldest of the 4 bridges spanning the Grand Canal inwards Venice. The pair was originally made of woods too was built inwards 1255 , replacing an before pontoon pair that gave people access to the Rialto marketplace on the eastern bank. The pair had 2 inclined ramps coming together at a movable cardinal department , that could live raised to allow the passage of tall ships. The shops were added exclusively during the outset one-half of the 15th century to generate revenue for the State Treasury.
Because the timber pair was hard to maintain (the pair had already collapsed twice too 1 time burnt during a revolt) , a rock pair was proposed. Famous architects offered their plans but all involved a Classical approach amongst several arches. Finally , the master copy inclined ramp pattern of the wooden pair was chosen. The electrical current rock pair was built inwards 1591. It has 2 inclined ramps leading upwards to a cardinal portico. On either side of the portico , the covered ramps ship rows of shops.
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Pulteney Bridge , Bath
The Pulteney Bridge across River Avon inwards Bath , England , was designed past times architect Robert Adam who was inspired past times the shop-lined bridges of Ponte Vecchio too Ponte di Rialto. The Pulteney Bridge was commissioned past times William Johnstone , a wealthy Scottish lawyer too Member of Parliament , who had inherited a substantial fortune too estate about Bath past times his union to Frances Pulteney , after whom the pair is named. The Pulteney’s estate was across the river from the metropolis too could exclusively live reached past times ferry. William wanted to bring a pair too then that he could transform his massive 600-acre estate into a novel town too suburb of the metropolis of Bath.
The pair was completed inwards 1774 , but too then many alterations were made to the pair over the final iii centuries that the electrical current pair bears scarce resemblance to the master copy construction equally envisioned past times Robert Adam. Today , the pair features 2 ranges of shops designed inwards the Palladian mode betwixt them forming a narrow street over the bridge. The shops on the northward side bring cantilevered bring upwards extensions that ruins the bridge’s symmetry. But the southern external side clearly shows the manus of Robert Adam.
The pair is forthwith designated equally a Grade I listed building.
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