During the reign of the Turkish Sultan Bayazet, Leonardo da Vinci developed a design for a bridge that would allow ships with the highest sails that existed at that time to easily pass under it. In 1502, he proposed building a real self-supporting bridge to the Sultan, describing all the advantages and necessity of this structure. In those days, there were no such devices as flow meters, various measuring units for establishing wind force and other devices that today make almost any job much easier. But despite this, the great artist was able to create a project for an openwork structure that could be supported by weight.

He managed to do this thanks to the development of a special fastening system, which was a real discovery. According to the project, this design in length reached 346 meters. This would have been the longest bridge in those days. However, Sultan Bayazet decided to abandon the implementation of this project.

Bridge construction

Only 500 years later, the artist Verbjorn Sand was able to convince the Norwegian government to realize his great idea. At the end of the 20th century, a decision was made to implement the project. Construction has begun. The new bridge was opened in 2001. It is located in As, Norway.

Interestingly, the design corresponds almost exactly to the developments made by Leonardo da Vinci. However, there are some differences. If 5 centuries ago a bridge could have been built from natural stone, then today such construction would require too much financial expenditure. That is why it was decided to use it as building material wood (pine and teak). Another difference is the size. Leonardo da Vinci designed a structure over 300 meters long, but the realized bridge is only 100 meters long. The construction of this bridge cost the Norwegian government $1.36 million.

"I know how to build very light and strong bridges, suitable for transportation during attack and retreat, protected from fire and shells." - wrote Leonardo da Vinci, introducing himself as a specialist, sophisticated in the field of military engineering .

Try to build one of the structures - Leonardo da Vinci bridge.

It can be made from pencils, rulers, ice cream sticks, branches, glazing beads, picket fences... Moreover, to build such a bridge, no glue, no nails, no ropes are needed! Build your own Leonardo da Vinci bridge, take photos and send them to email [email protected] or on social networks!

Also, YOU can not only build a bridge, but also explore how much load it will withstand without collapsing.

I wish you success!

I have already built my bridge, and YOU?

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Bridge No. 1. Built by Nastya and Anya (10th grade)
Bridge No. 2. Andrey's design (7th grade)
Bridge No. 3. Built by Dasha and Olya (6th grade)
Bridge No. 4. Phased construction. Dima, Egor (7th grade)
Bridge No. 5. Bridge from Polina. (7th grade)
Bridge No. 6. Leonardo da Vinci Bridge at Scout Camp
No nails and no ropes! Passed the stability test in the form of children crossing a bridge (with insurance from senior scouts). It’s a pity that the logs are a bit short, they could have built more spans.
Bridge No. 7. A small bridge with a big future (Kirill, 6 years old)
There may be YOUR photo	There may be YOUR photo	There may be YOUR photo

INSTEAD OF CONCLUSION...

Leonardo was a master of “self-supporting” bridges... Now it is no longer possible to determine whether he was the prototype of a certain project or one of the master’s puzzles. Or maybe it just occurred to him nice idea, which he left for us... All that is known for sure is that:
1) the structure can be assembled,
2) it's interesting,
3) this is a great test of your ingenuity,
4) It’s not easy to build a bridge alone.

In the vicinity of Oslo in the city of Akerhus there is a bridge named after Leonardo da Vinci.

The background is as follows. In 1502, the great artist designed a bridge for Sultan Bayazet II. According to this project, it was possible to build an arched bridge 360 ​​meters long across the Golden Horn Bay; such a bold project for the Middle Ages was considered impracticable.

In fact, Leonardo da Vinci designed several various designs bridge, this one is just one of them (model of the bridge from the Belarusian museum):

Hundreds of years later, in 1996, Leonardo da Vinci's recordings were discovered by contemporary artist Webjorn Sand, who later became the founder of the Leonardo Bridge Project. With his support and participation, 500 years later, an amazing bridge was built in the vicinity of Oslo in the city of Akerhus. The arch bridge, which is only 50 meters long, is intended exclusively for pedestrians and cyclists. The height of the bridge reaches 10 meters, it passes over the important highway E-18, which connects Stockholm and Oslo. The amazing “historical” bridge also has another symbolic name – “Golden Horn”.

Today everyone, both old and young, knows the name of the famous artist, scientist, architect and engineer - Leonardo da Vinci. Even in cinema, his name is not uncommon. Da Vinci has immortalized himself for many centuries, and many people give their inventions his name. Thus, a huge Leonardo da Vinci bridge appeared in Norway, and thousands of people from all over the world come to walk along it.

Leonardo da Vinci Bridge. Start

In fact, the Leonardo da Vinci Bridge began to be built during the artist’s lifetime. It was he who, in 1501, developed a project for a 240-meter bridge that was supposed to cross the bay called the Golden Horn. This bay enters the Bosphorus Strait and divides Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) into two parts. At that time, this project was considered as an artist’s fantasy. The fact is that in those years it was simply not possible to build something like this. Only after 300 years will the technology and capabilities be able to build this.

Almost 500 years passed before the sketch in the corner of a worn notebook was brought to life. At one of the exhibitions, the Norwegian artist saw this idea of ​​​​the famous Leonardo da Vinci. Vebjorn Sand decided to build Da Vinci's dream.

In 1996, this project was used during the construction of a new road junction in Oslo. Only 5 years later, a large pedestrian bridge appeared over the E-18 highway, which connects the cities of Oslo and Stockholm. Today it is located near the city of Os.

The bridge itself turned out to be unique. The total length is about 110 meters. In the center of the bridge the span is 40 meters, and on the sides - no more than 10 m. This bridge can be classified as one of those architectural monuments that, although built recently, have a centuries-old interesting story. Today, the Leonardo da Vinci Bridge is visited and loved by both tourists and residents of Norway.

In Istanbul, a new bridge will be built across the Golden Horn Bay in the near future. The author of the project is... Leonardo da Vinci. Five centuries ago, in 1502, he proposed to the Turkish Sultan Bayazet II original design bridge, but the project was not implemented. In Leonardo’s notebook of that time there is the following entry: “The bridge from Pera to Constantinople is 40 cubits wide, 70 cubits high from the water, 600 cubits long, that is, 400 over the sea and 200 on land; it forms its own foundations.” Leonardo was a master of "self-supporting" bridges. We will try to reproduce one of his designs.

Among Leonardo's drawings there is a sketch of a bridge of an unusual design. Now it is no longer possible to determine whether it was the prototype of a certain project or one of the master’s puzzles. Or maybe he just came up with a beautiful idea that he left for you... All we know for sure is that the structure can be assembled, that it is very interesting and will be a great test of your ingenuity. And also the ability to work together: it will not be easy to build a bridge alone.

1. So, we have: 1) river banks - any rigid plane will do; 2) logs - instead of them you can use a set of 24 identical pencils (it’s better to have a dozen more in reserve, they will come in handy) or something similar; 3) and of course the hands, and most importantly the head.

2. Take a plane and drill two pairs of holes (these will be our “shores”) at a distance slightly less than the length of two pencils from each other. The distance between the holes on each “shore” should be slightly more than half the length of the pencil. The holes can be drilled vertically, but it will be easier to assemble if you make a slight slope towards the opposite “shore”.

3. Insert the first four pencils into the holes. We will assemble the bridge from one “shore” towards the other.

4. Place the first transverse pencil with outside supports

5. Each next step is a sequential installation of two longitudinal and one transverse pencil at the same time. This is where your head, hands, and team spirit are required! While one of you carefully holds the already assembled part of the bridge in tension, the other prepares and installs each new section of three parts. After its installation and fixation, the first one intercepts (accepts) the new section. The operation is repeated. Make sure that none of the longitudinal parts come out of alignment!

6. The final stage: we install the last transverse pencil on the opposite “shore” behind the supports, which will fix the entire structure.

If you managed to assemble the bridge the third time, feel free to give yourself an “A” for dexterity and coordination!

P.S. Now look at the already assembled bridge from a slightly different angle. Isn't the nest built in the same way? What about the fence? What about the basket? Truly, there is nothing new under the sun! Thanks to Leonardo for being able to see...

Buy puzzle designer "Leonardo's Bridge"