Bridges are cultural monuments. Their construction has completely changed over history and impacted the lives of everybody that uses them.

We visit China's most famous Wind and Rain Bridge and the Ponte dei Salti in the Verzasca Valley that literally dates back to the Roman era.

China

The Millau Viaduct in the south of France is one of the highest bridge structures in the world while the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which stands high over the River Dee in northeast Wales, was built in the 19th century.

Wales

One of the most impressive steel bridges in the world can be found in Calcutta: the Howrah Bridge. Its predecessor is the Forth Bridge across the Firth of Forth, near the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.

India

The Great Seto Bridge in Japan and the Victoria Falls Bridge in Zimbabwe have more than one thing in common: they were built on dreams and are the only train connections between the two regions.

Zimbabwe

The steelworks that symbolized the industrialization of 19th century England forged the material that was vital for entirely new types of bridge constructions. These revolutionary techniques were tried and tested in the United Kingdom before being exported to the far reaches of the Empire.

Scotland

The Ponte dei Salti in the Verzasca Valley in Ticino literally dates back to the Roman era. During its lifetime, it was used above all by shepherds taking their herds to the higher Alps. Today, it is a major draw for tourists, who jump down from the bridge into the crystal-clear mountain waters.

Switzerland

The Krämerbrücke is a symbol of the city of Erfurt and the longest bridge in Europe to feature buildings across its entire structure.

Germany

Bridges have always been a fulcrum for the world’s major trade routes. The Nordkasteel Bridge in the port of Antwerp – the second largest bridge in Europe – does more than transport goods and people within the port area. It can also be lifted up and provides access to the docks for container ships.

Belgium

The Millau Viaduct in the south of France is one of the highest bridge structures in the world and succeeds a formerly arduous journey through the wide valley of the Tarn River. With this route through the skies, travelers from the north of the country can reach the Mediterranean.

France

The construction of the longest combined rail and road bridge was a hundred-year dream for the people of Japan. Following its completion in 1988, the Great Seto Bridge finally connected the islands of Honshu and Shikoku, thereby ending the isolation of the smaller Shikoku from the Japanese mainland.