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The Galata Bridge (Galata Köprüsü) spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. It connects Eminönü and Karaköy.
The Galata Bridge is popular with both tourists and locals. It provides spectacular views of the Golden Horn, Bosporus, and Old City. The bridge is also a famous fishing spot.
History
The first known bridge over the Golden Horn was built by Justinian I in the 6th century. It was upstream near the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople.
Sultan Bayezid II invited Leonardo da Vinci to design a bridge in 1502, but the proposal was rejected. It would have been a single span 240 meters (790 feet) long and 24 meters (79 feet) wide, making it the longest bridge in the world at the time.
It took almost another 1300 years before the Ottomans finally built a bridge of their own. The Hayratiye Bridge opened on September 3, 1836, linking Azapkapı and Unkapanı. It was built by Mahmud II. Before that, the only way to cross the Golden Horn was by kayık or rowboat.
First Galata Bridge
There have been five bridges at the mouth of the Golden Horn. The first was a wooden bridge built in 1845 by Bezmiâlem Sultan, the mother of Sultan Abdülmecid I. It was called New Bridge (Cisr-i Cedid) to distinguish it from the Hayratiye Bridge. Abdülmecid I was the first person to pass over the bridge.
Second Bridge
The second bridge was built in 1863 to improve infrastructure ahead of a visit by Napoleon III. It was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz and built by Ethem Pertev Pasha. It was also a wooden bridge.
Third Bridge
The third bridge was completed in 1875 by British firm G. Wells. It was 480 meters (1,570 feet) long and 14 meters (46 feet) wide, and rested on 24 pontoons.
Fourth Bridge
The fourth bridge was built in 1912 by German company Hüttenwerk Oberhausen AG. The bridge was 466 meters (1,529 feet) long and 25 meters (82 feet) wide. It was a floating bridge that lasted until 1992 when it was damaged by fire.
Today’s Galata Bridge
The current Galata Bridge was completed in December 1994 and is one of the only moveable bridges in the world with tram tracks. It’s 490 meters (1,610 feet) long and 80 meters (260 feet) wide. The market area on the lower level of the bridge opened in 2003.
Tolls
Anyone crossing the bridge between November 25, 1845, and May 31, 1930, had to pay a toll. Officials in white uniforms stood on each end of the bridge to collect tolls. The price depended on who or what was crossing. Toll collectors charged different rates for pedestrians, pedestrians carrying luggage, horses, horse-drawn carriages, and small animals.
Restaurants
The lower level contains several popular fish restaurants. They allow diners to enjoy the scenery while eating a delicious meal, but buyer beware. Some of these restaurants are notorious for ripping people off.
The only restaurant I can vouch for is Istanbul Balık. I went there with a student one night and he told me it was the only honest restaurant on the bridge, meaning it’s the only one that hasn’t tried to cheat him. I took my mother there when she visited Istanbul and we had a great experience.
