St. Peter's Bridge (Slovene: Šempetrski most or Šentpetrski most,[1] in older sources also Šent Peterski most[2] or Šentpeterski most[3]), also Ambrož Bridge (Ambrožev most),[4] is a bridge in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, that crosses the river Ljubljanica in the northeastern end of the old town. It is a continuation of Rozman Street (Rozmanova ulica).[5] West of it lie Vraz Square (Vrazov trg) on the northern (left) bank of the river and Ambrož Square (Ambrožev trg) on its southern (right) bank.[6][7] East of it lies the Petkovšek Embankment (Petkovškovo nabrežje) on the northern bank[8] and the Poljane Embankment (Poljansko nabrežje) on the southern bank.[9] The bridge is named after the nearby St. Peter's Church.[4] It is intended primarily for motorised traffic, but is also used by pedestrians.[10]

St. Peter's Bridge links the residential districts of Šempeter and Poljane.

History

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St. Peter's Bridge in the mid-19th century
 
An early-20th century postcard of St. Peter's Bridge with the Ljubljana tram

Originally, a wooden footbridge held over the Ljubljanica on the site. It was property of Bishops of Ljubljana, who used it to access their land on the other bank.[11] According to a legend, unconfirmed by historical sources, Bishop Thomas Chrön (1560–1630) led a procession of the Blessed Sacrament across the footbridge, guarded from the Lutherans by the blacksmiths of Ljubljana. The story tells that the Chrön Cross at nearby Grain Square (Žitni trg), now Ambrož Square, was erected in remembrance of their victory.[12]

In 1776, the wooden Bridge Behind the Barracks (Zakasarniški most)[13] replaced the footbridge.[14] It was built to link St. Peter's Barracks north of the river and the Poljane residential district south of it.[5] In 1835, it was replaced by a new one.[5] There were actually two bridges, the wider one used by draft animals and the narrower one by pedestrians, and from the beginning of the 20th century, by the Ljubljana tram.[14]

The construction of the present iron and concrete bridge started at the beginning of the 20th century. Due to World War I, it was only completed in 1918.[5] The wooden bridge was transferred to the Prule neighbourhood, where it then served as the Prule Bridge.[15]

References

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  1. ^ "88468. šentpetrski". Dictionary of Slovene Standard Language. Fran Ramovš Institute of the Slovene Language, Scientific Research Centre, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. 2000. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  2. ^ Koch, Ciril-Metod. 1933. "Načrt mesta Ljubljana." In: R. Badjur, Vodič po jugoslovanskih Alpah. Ljubljana: Tujsko-prometna zveza Slovenije.
  3. ^ "Vprašanje borovniškega viadukta." In: Slovenec (1 May 1941), page 5.
  4. ^ a b "Master Plečnik". Gremo s kolesom...!. City Municipality of Ljubljana; LUZ, d. d. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d Habič, Marko (1997). "Šempetrski most" [St. Peter's Bridge]. Prestolnica Ljubljana nekoč in danes [A Pictorial Chronicle of a Capital City]. National Publishing House of Slovenia. ISBN 86-341-2007-4. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. ^ "20331: Ljubljana - Vrazov trg" [20331: Ljubljana – Vraz Square]. Register nepremične kulturne dediščine [Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage] (in Slovenian). Ministry of Culture, Republic of Slovenia. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  7. ^ "9646: Ljubljana - Ambrožev trg" [9646: Ljubljana – Ambrož Square]. Register nepremične kulturne dediščine [Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage] (in Slovenian). Ministry of Culture, Republic of Slovenia. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  8. ^ Habič, Marko (1997). "Petkovškovo nabrežje" [The Petkovšek Embankment]. Prestolnica Ljubljana nekoč in danes [A Pictorial Chronicle of a Capital City]. National Publishing House of Slovenia. ISBN 86-341-2007-4. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  9. ^ "Poljanski nasip" [Poljane Embankment]. Geopedia.si. Geodetic Institute of the Republic of Slovenia; Synergise, d. o. o. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  10. ^ Grujičić, Petra (11 September 2010). "Mostovi ne povezujejo samo rečnih bregov" [Bridges Do not Only Link River Banks]. Delo. p. 20.
  11. ^ Potočnik, A. (June 1927). "Ljubljana: b) Ljubljanski mostovi". Zvonček. 28 (10): 229. ISSN 1855-7287.
  12. ^ Batista, Eva. "Hrenov križ" [Chrön Cross]. In Šmid Hribar, Mateja; Golež, Gregor; Podjed, Dan; Kladnik, Drago; Erhartič, Bojan; Pavlin, Primož; Ines, Jerele (eds.). Enciklopedija naravne in kulturne dediščine na Slovenskem – DEDI [Encyclopedia of Natural and Cultural Heritage in Slovenia] (in Slovenian). Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  13. ^ "Namesto vojašnic – kultura in stanovanja" [Instead of Barracks – Culture and Flats]. Nedeljski.dnevnik.si (in Slovenian). 10 November 2009.
  14. ^ a b Kopriva, Silvester (1989). Ljubljana skozi čas: ob latinskih in slovenskih napisih in zapisih [Ljubljana Through Time: Latin and Slovene Inscriptions and Records] (in Slovenian). Založba Borec. p. 218. COBISS 14030080.
  15. ^ "Med mostovi slovenske prestolnice" [Among the Bridges of the Slovenian Capital]. MMC RTV Slovenija. RTV Slovenija. 28 March 2008.

46°3′1.74″N 14°30′59.23″E / 46.0504833°N 14.5164528°E / 46.0504833; 14.5164528