The Nine Hole Bridge (Kilenclyukú híd) (Hortobágy)

 tourism, folklore, interesting place, bridge

The symbol of Hortobágy, this is the longest road stone bridge in historic Hungary prior to 1921 when the country was reduced to one third of its former territory. The bridge was built between 1827 and 1833 in a Classical style.

The distance between the two abutments standing on either side of the river is 92.13 metres while the entire length of the stone bridge measures 167.3 metres.

The clever design served to make the life of the herdsman easier by making the entrance to the bridge broader. This way the approaching animals could walk on to the bridge as if into open arms, making it much easier to herd the sheep, horses and cows across the bridge.

The predecessor of the Nine Hole Bridge was a wooden structure built in 1697 which finally no longer corresponded to requirements due to the heavy traffic and deterioration over time. Increasingly frequent repairs made maintenance more and more expensive and thus, in 1825, the city of Debrecen decided to dismantle the wooden bridge and build a new stone bridge in its place. After a review of several designs, the plan of Ferenc Povolny was accepted. Construction of the new bridge began in 1827 and after its completion in 1833 the wooden bridge was dismantled.