Liberty Bridge, Novi Sad


Liberty Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. The bridge was built in 1981 and destroyed during NATO bombardment on 3 April 1999. It was rebuilt from 2003 to 2005 and reopened on 7 October 2005. The bridge was designed by Nikola Hajdin.

History

On 3 April 1999, at 7:55 pm local time, a rocket struck the Liberty Bridge during the NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia. Although the bridge gradually collapsed into the Danube River, there were no deaths thanks to a local fisherman named Velimir Teodorović who rescued nine civilians from the destroyed bridge.
Rebuilding the bridge cost the city of Novi Sad 40 million euros and lasted for 2 years and 22 days. Maja Gojković, at the time mayor of Novi Sad, reopened it on 7 October 2005. The official reopening was held a few days later, with officials from the European Agency for Reconstruction present. The bridge's reconstruction and opening was a cause for political clashes; one side saying Novi Sad and its citizens should be thankful to EU for the gift of the reconstructed bridge, and the other that EU was obliged to reconstruct it anyway, as a part of war damages compensation.