The Eiffel Bridge () is a bridge over the River Prut and a checkpoint between Moldova and Romania. The bridge is located between Ungheni, Moldova and Ungheni, Romania.
History
On a Russian diplomatic agent, Ivan Alekseevich Zinov'ev, and Gheorghe Costaforu signed a rail junction convention, which was ratified on .Frederick Kellogg, The Road to Romanian Independence, 1995, p. 84 and the Iași-Ungheni railway was opened on 1 August 1874. The railway Chișinău-Cornești-Ungheni (built 1871–1875) was opened on 1 June 1875 by the Russian Empire in preparation for the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). Ungheni customs were established in 1875 after putting into operation the Chișinău-Ungheni-Iași railroad. The railway Chișinău-Cornești was already opened in 1873.
The first metal bridge was built according to the design of the Russian engineer Nikolai Belelubsky between 1874-1876. The first Russian troops crossed the bridge in 1877. Due to a testing process that lasted another 5 years, the bridge did not come into civilian use until 1881. It was blown up by retreating Russian troops on 22 June 1941 and rebuilt for the needs of German-Romanian troops. Bombed in 1944, it was rebuilt by the Russians between 1944 and 1946.
Today, the bridge remains a strategically positioned construction under the supervision of border guards.
Gallery
See also Moldovan–Romanian relations List of bridges in Moldova List of bridges in Romania
Notes
External links Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova Caile Ferate Moldovene, la rascruce de drumuri