A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historica 3. (Szeged, 2000)

TÓTH Ferenc: A magyarcsanádi közúti híd

FERENC TÓTH THE PUBLIC ROAD BRIDGE OF MAGYARCSANÁD The pubüc road bridge of Magyarcsanád was built in 1895 for the 1000

th year anniversary of the Hungarian Conquest. A simple ferry-crossing at this location had been operating since the time of the foundation of the country. According to legend, the coffin of bishop Saint Gellért, who died a martyr's death, was carried over the Maros River in 1046 under miraculous circumstances. The simple ferry operated for nine centuries until the construction of the bridge. From the 18

th century, a rope stretched across the two banks ensured crossing by a ferry boat. The substructure of the bridge was designed and implemented by Szilárd Zielinszki, who became professor of the University of Engineering later on. The superstructure was completed in the iron factory of Fülöp W. Nicholson and Partner of Budapest. As a result of the Peace Accord of Trianon, the Hungarian-Romanian border was drawn right across the Maros River in this section of the river, thus, the southern half of the bridge became a part of Romania. The border traffic between the two countries decreased to the minimum. In 1940, the bridge exploded when it was struck by lightning which set off the mines attached to the Romanian section of the bridge.