New bridge connects Slovenian, Austrian border communities
Šentilj, a town in northwest Slovenia best known for one of only two motorway border crossings with Austria, and its Austrian neighbour Strass have inaugurated a much smaller but equally significant connection - a wooden suspension bridge across the Mura River for pedestrians and cyclists that will connect the two border communities, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
"This border used to divide nations, but today this is a river of friendship, connection and cohabitation," Šentilj Mayor Štefan Žvab said ahead of the opening.
"This is more than just a wooden structure and concrete foundation. It is a bridge between people, cultures, and to a future we are building for next generations," he added.
The €1.8 million Ceršak Bridge received €1.2 million in EU funds, with the rest provided by the local authorities of the two border towns, which decided to build the structure to both boost their tourism appeal and to benefit their residents.
Šentilj intends to connect the new bridge by a cycling path to the existing R2 cycling path leading from the source of the Mura in the High Tauern mountains in Austria to Legrad in Croatia, the confluence of the Mura and the Drava River.
