The Father Bernatek pedestrian and bicycle bridge is a peculiar place in Podgórze, although it has not been here for long. It was established in 2010 in the place of the former Podgórski Bridge. Its name comes from the monk Laetus Bernatka, the main initiator of the construction of the Bonifrat hospital in Krakow.
Looking at the footbridge in profile, the first thing that catches the eye is a 145-meter-long steel arch, to which two platforms are suspended on both sides – for cyclists and pedestrians. An interesting fact is the weight of the footbridge – it is as much as 700 tons. The arch is illuminated from below, and the railings are equipped with LED lighting. Thanks to this, the whole thing looks interesting and atmospheric in the late evening.
Footbridge for couples in love
The footbridge has become a favorite place for couples in love, just like the famous Pont des Arts bridge in Paris. In fact, the custom of attaching a padlock with engraved names to the bars of the footbridge railings and throwing the key into the Vistula has become a tradition. Walking along the footbridge, no matter which platform, on both sides we will meet thousands of love padlocks.
The sight of pinned padlocks is cute, but not everywhere. Here and there you can see torn fragments of the metal grille, probably caused by attempts to remove the no longer valid padlock. This is the main reason for the general poor condition of the barriers, and therefore the city authorities have to repair the damaged parts. All padlocks will have to be removed for this purpose, but the city authorities do not yet know what they will do with them. It is certain, however, that they will not throw them away because they are too valuable for the inhabitants. There are ideas about a monument of love, built of the aforementioned padlocks.
