Car-free Oude IJsselbrug Zwolle by Rik Zwier

About "Car-free Oude IJsselbrug Zwolle"

by Rik Zwier

About the artwork

Many a photographer took beautiful pictures on the Oude IJsselbrug in July 2020. Due to road works, the bridge was closed to car traffic. This provided a unique opportunity for photographers to take special pictures.

Many photographers took the opportunity to take undisturbed photos from the middle line on the bridge. Lying on their stomachs or backs produced unusual symmetrical photos. Nice detail shots of the bridge's construction could also be taken. So did this photographer. Nicely shot from the middle, low perspective and using a long shutter speed ensures that there are dynamics in the photo.

Katerveer Bridge
The official name of what is popularly known as 'the Oude IJsselbrug' is 'the Katerveerbrug'. The bridge opened in 1930 made the Katerveer redundant. This ferry service connected Overijssel with Gelderland. The history of the ferry goes back to the 10th century.

In 1862, Zwolle refused to participate in the construction of a combined train and road bridge. In 1905, the 'Commission tot overbrugging van den IJssel nabij het Katerveer' was founded. The Zwolle citizenry had raised money for this purpose. A bill to bridge the IJssel near the Katerveer was passed in 1917 under Minister Ir C. Lely. When Zwolle-born Mr H. van der Vegte became Minister of Water Management in 1927, nothing stood in the way of building the bridge.
The total span of the bridge is 440 metres long. The steel middle bridge is 140 metres long.