Railway bridge in Przemyśl

The railway bridge in Przemyśl, also known as the Tadeusz Porembalski Bridge, is a distinctive truss structure located on the San River, connecting the Przemyśl Główny and Przemyśl Zasanie stations. It was built in 1860 as part of the construction of the railway line linking Vienna with Lviv, and has existed in its current form since 1891. It is one of the few structures in Poland designed by Gustave Eiffel's engineering bureau. Throughout its history, the bridge has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. In March 1915, it was blown up by Austrian forces and subsequently rebuilt in 1916. After World War I, the bridge witnessed Polish-Ukrainian fighting. In 1939, during the Soviet invasion of Poland, Nikita Khrushchev visited the bridge, underscoring its strategic importance. As a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the bridge became a border crossing between the German and Soviet zones. In June 1941, it was the site of fierce German-Soviet battles. In 1944, when the bridge was prepared for demolition, it was saved by soldiers of the Home Army, who neutralized most of the explosives. After World War II, the bridge was repaired, and in recent years it underwent modernization, resulting in the opening of new tracks on the new bridge in 2023. It is also worth noting that the decommissioned bridges will be preserved due to their historical value—one is to be converted into a pedestrian and bicycle path, while the other will be used by the Museum of the Przemyśl Land. Thus, the bridge not only serves transportation purposes but also plays an important role in preserving local cultural and historical heritage.