This has been built on the river Tagus, close to Portugal’s capital – Lisbon. The traffic was heavy here and people were suffering from traveling from one place to another one.

The length of the Vasco da Gama Bridge is about 17 kilometers and it is the 9th longest bridge in the world. It took only about three years to complete the bridge. Cable-stayed and viaducts technologies have been used to construct this bridge. Normally, it would take about twenty minutes to cross the bridge and it would surely be a pleasant experience for all the travellers.

The bridge was opened to public service in 1998 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the invention of the route from Europe to India. By the way, Vasco da Gama was one of the most successful Portuguese explorer and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India.

Special aspect of this bridge is that it has been built within 18 months with over three thousand workers and should survive for at least 120 years. A 40 years long contract has been given to a private company to take care of the cost so the government didn’t have to spend money for the project. Though only six lanes are available at present, there is enough space to convert it into eight lanes bridge, when it is required.

If you are Technical Monuments lover, and already visited Paris with Eiffel Tower, now you should go more to the south and try driving across this technical gem.

View Vasco da Gama Bridge – the longest bridge in Europe Portugal in a larger map

The post Vasco da Gama Bridge – the longest bridge in Europe | Portugal appeared first on Europe Explored.

Albrechtsburg castle was built in the 15th century and it was the first castle in the history of German engineering. The builder was Arnold von Westfalen. Albrechtsburg Castle is a silent witness to history of famous for so-called “white gold” because it is also a place of the first porcelain manufactory in Europe, established in 1710.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Miala

Albrechtsburg castle hosts numerous interesting exhibitions, including the permanent exhibition about the castle and local porcelain, which takes you back to the times of the invention of the European porcelain. With multimedia production you can also look at the laboratory of Johann Friedrich Böttger, the discoverer of porcelain production.

In the castle complex there is a beautiful Gothic cathedral – Meissen Cathedral, that was built in 1260 – 1410.

Janos Korom Dr.

View Albrechtsburg castle – one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in Germany in a larger map

The post Albrechtsburg castle – one of the most beautiful late Gothic buildings in Germany appeared first on Europe Explored.