Veresk Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 35°54′12″N52°59′26″E / 35.90325°N 52.99067°E /35.90325; 52.99067 |
| Carries | Tehran Railway toMazandaran (North) Railway |
| Crosses | Savadkuh Mountains |
| Locale | Savadkuh County,Mazandaran Province,Iran |
| Other name | Veresk |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Total length | 112.40 meters |
| Longest span | 66 meters |
| Clearance below | 110 meters |
| History | |
| Engineering design by | Kampsax Company |
| Opened | December 1935 |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Veresk Bridge | |
TheVeresk bridge (Persian:پل ورسک, Pol-e Veresk) is amasonryarch bridge in northernIran. It was constructed by Impresa G. R. Pizzagalli & C. from Italy from 1934 to 1935 by leadership of the Italian engineer Cesare Delleani, during the reign ofReza Shah.[1][2] It is located in theVeresk district ofSavadkuh County, inMazandaran province.[3][4]
In 1933 the Danish ConsortiumKampsax, which had been chosen by the government of Iran asgeneral contractor for theTrans-Iranian Railway, assigned Lot number 8 on the Northern section of the project to the Italian Engineer Guido Romeo Pizzagalli from Milan. In November 1933 he founded the company Impresa G.R. Pizzagalli & C. together with several Italian engineers, among them the three brothers Battista, Guido and Cesare Delleani from Biella.[5]
The lot had a total length of 7,600 m with a height difference of 186 m and was composed of 10 tunnels, and two major bridges, one with a length of 52 m and an arch of 25 m and the second with a length of 112 m and an arch of 60 m,[6] which is now considered the masterpiece of the Trans-Iranian Railway and which has been among the world’s tallest bridges at the time of construction.[7] Cesare Delleani was in charge of the construction of the bridge.[8] The project had been elaborated by a group of engineers of KAMPSAX.[9]
Works on the bridge started in August 1934. The bridge and whole lot was finished by December 1935 and handed over to the contractor by January 1936. Work on the lot has been carried out by 260 specialized workers from Europe, mostly from Italy and about 2700 unspecialised workers from Asia.[10] Two cable-ways had been installed fort the transport of workers and building material to the bridge construction.
By July 1934 a flood in the Versek valley at the bottom of the construction site killed many workers.[11] On March 5, 1935, a strong earthquake claimed many casualties among workers and substantially damaged the construction site.
In summer 1935 Shah Reza Khan paid a visit to the bridge under construction and personally congratulated the chief engineer, Cesare Delleani.[12]
During World War II, it was known as thePol-e Piroozi ("The bridge of victory").[13]
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The bridge stands 110 metres (360 ft) above the valley bottom, its arch measures 66 metres (217 ft) and the overall length of the bridge is 112.40 metres (368.8 ft). The bridge serves theTrans-Iranian Railway network in Northern Iran.
The Veresk bridge connects the railway between Tehran and theCaspian Sea region. It is located inMazandaran Veresk district ofSavadkuh County, 85 kilometers south ofGhaemshahr and connects two of the mountains in the Abbas Abad region. The bridge is one of the masterpieces of the Danish engineering firmKampsax, (consisting ofDanish,German andAustrian engineers likeLadislaus von Rabcewicz) as well as Italian civil construction art serving theTrans-Iranian Railway network in Northern Iran.[14]
The Master Carpenter for the construction of the lumber concrete forms was Giacomo Di Marco, from the Friuli region of Italy, and detailed in the book he authored.[citation needed] It has been said after finishing the bridge, people feared that the train would not be able to pass the narrow bridge and that it would break. As a result, according to an anecdote the engineer and his family stood under it when the first train passed the bridge (local accounts claim that Reza Shah had asked them to do so).[15]
Near the bridge is a memorial structure built in memory of all the construction workers who lost their lives in the course of building the bridge and its nearby tunnels. The Austrian engineer Walter Aigner, following his wishes, is buried in the cemetery of Veresk. Under the bridge is a tunnel through which trains pass after crossing the bridge and gradually dropping altitude and before pulling into the train station. During World War II, Reza Shah was asked byAdolf Hitler to blow up all tunnels and bridges, including the Veresk Bridge, on Iran's railway lines in order to delay the transfer of goods and reinforcement troops to the north for the Russians. He furthermore promised to replace and reconstruct all of such demolished structures following the Germans’ victory in the war.Reza Shah rejected the request. Trains connecting Tehran to Gorgan or Sari pass over the bridge an average of four times a day.[16]
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35°54′12″N52°59′25″E / 35.9033°N 52.9904°E /35.9033; 52.9904
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