It is certainly the most famous bascule bridge in the world: the Tower Bridge over the Thames. By the way, the bridge does not have its name because of its two towers, but is named after the nearby Tower of London.

Although a major road passes through them, shipping still has priority. For particularly large ships, the two middle bridge parts are folded up. However, the two rockers are only opened so far that the respective ship can drive through. Fully open (up to 86 degrees), however, the bridge will be honored on special occasions and / or to name certain personalities. Like Winston Churchill once.

The Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894 in order to solve the traffic problems of that time and at the same time to enable ships to access the harbor facilities. It was built of steel and then the towers were covered with limestone to give the bridge a more beautiful look. The (visible) metal parts were painted red-white-blue on Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, British national colors. Since then, these colors have been retained.

The road over Tower Bridge is an important traffic artery, with about 40,000 cars passing through every day. To protect the historic building is a speed limit of 20 miles / hour (about 30 km / h).

The Tower Bridge as a top attraction in London can of course be visited. The upper connections are walkable pedestrian bridges. From there you have at a height of 43m a wonderful view over the rooftops of London. The upper part of the bridge houses a museum displaying models and pictures of the bridge's construction and history. The old engine house can also be visited: The original hydraulic system was changed in 1974, but the old steam engines for water hydraulics were left in their place and are now part of the museum.
Source: london.sehenswuerdigkeiten-online.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/tower_bridge.html

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Frank

July 22, 2018

There is nothing to add. Mandatory program for London.

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Location: London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

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