Žďákov Bridge

Žďákov Bridge is an impressive bridge in southern Bohemia, near Kostelec nad Vltavou. It is named after a village that was flooded during the construction of Orlík Reservoir. The bridge spans the river Vltava and supports a road connecting Tábor and Plzeň. The panorama of this elegant bridge and Orlík Dam is one of the most popular tourist sights and the bridge itself offers a spectacular view.

The original design was created as early as 1941, but its construction was prevented by war. After the war, a new project was created, accommodating a 19-metre increase in the water level of Vltava caused by the construction of Orlík Dam. The construction of Žďákov Bridge began in 1958 and with occasional pauses lasted until 1967. The total length of the bridge measures almost 543 metres, the abutments are almost 380 metres apart and the road is 50 metres above water level. The bridge was named Bridge of the Century in the category steel road bridges on a symposium in Brno.

Žďákov Bridge is also infamous for the so-called Orlík murders. In the early 1990s, five serial killers murdered several businessmen and hid their bodies in barrels with lye and threw them into Orlík Reservoir from this very bridge. The film Velvet Murderers (Sametoví vrazi, 2005) is based on the event.