If you want to visit the other side of the river Drava, and at the same time enjoy the embrace of the river and Maribor’s charming Lent, the oldest part of our town, walk across the Studenci footbridge, a small bridge that is to be found between the Old Bridge and the Koroška Bridge.
The origin of the footbridge
When they built the Southern Railways workshop by the Koroška Railway Station about 1200 people worked there. The workers were given apartments in the new residential colonies and in private houses. The way to work was long and in the year 1885 the municipality had a footbridge built across the river Drava. This bridge connected the urban part with Studenci.
Footbridge threats
The footbridge was constructed from three iron arches on two wooden colonnades in the midst of Drava. High waters swept away the bridge on 13th September 1903. In that incident two town policemen, who had prevented inhabitants from crossing the footbridge, drowned.
One year later a new footbridge was built. This time they erected two columns built of stone in the middle of the Drava, and three reinforced iron arches connected both riverbanks. On the second day of the war, on 7th April 1941 just a little after 4 pm, the Yugoslav armyblew up the bridge. The occupier had had the footbridge restored and had used it until the year 1945.
Because of the construction of the electric power station Mariborski otok the Drava during the night from 8th to 9th July 1946 rose again and carried away the footbridge. A new footbridge was erected once again, this time with an asphalted and wider road. It was opened on 25th September 1948.