Galata Bridge

The Galata bridge, in Istanbul

The Galata bridge is a concentrate of Istanbul, linking the old town to the modern part above the Golden Horn. The Istanbul audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this first bridge over the Golden Horn, whose idea goes back to a project proposed to Leonardo da Vinci then to Michelangelo, and that, lined with fishermen and restaurants, offers one of the liveliest atmospheres of the city.

History

The animation is at its height: the fishermen pull up their catches, the passers-by circulate between musicians and caricaturists, the crowded restaurants grill the fresh fish with lemon and coriander, and the seagulls make a great racket. The Galata bridge is a concentrate of Istanbul, linking the old town to the most modern part. It is the first bridge to have crossed the Golden Horn, built in 1845, but the idea is much older. In 1502, the sultan solicited Leonardo da Vinci for this project, that would have given the longest bridge in the world at the time, but the idea, too ambitious, did not succeed. Michelangelo was then invited to design a bridge for Istanbul, but the artist refused, and the project was abandoned. It was necessary to wait for the nineteenth century for a bridge to finally cross the Golden Horn. The first, called new bridge, served eighteen years before being replaced by a wooden bridge for the visit of Napoleon III, then by four others. The one on which you find yourself dates from 1992: it is a bascule bridge, whose mobile deck rises vertically to let the boats pass.

What to see

Here you live a concentrate of Istanbul, on the first bridge thrown over the Golden Horn linking old town and modern districts; lined with fishermen and restaurants where the fresh fish grills, it bears the history of a project dreamed by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and its bascule deck of 1992 rises for the boats. The Galata bridge is one of the liveliest atmospheres of the city. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Galata bridge spans the Golden Horn between the Eminönü district and that of Karaköy, in Istanbul, reachable on foot. It is a bridge in free access, animated by fishermen and restaurants, that you cross on foot to reach the modern part of the city. You discover it during a walk.

What great artists were solicited for the Galata bridge in Istanbul?

From 1502, the sultan solicited Leonardo da Vinci to design a bridge over the Golden Horn, that would have been the longest in the world at the time, but the project did not succeed; Michelangelo was then invited, but refused. It was necessary to wait for the nineteenth century, and 1845, to see the first bridge cross the Golden Horn; the current bascule bridge dates from 1992.

Where is the Galata bridge in Istanbul?

On the Golden Horn, between the districts of Eminönü and Karaköy, in Istanbul, in Turkey.