Discover the history of one of Florianópolis's symbols.

By Gustavo Henrique Braga

One of Florianópolis' main postcards receives the Olympic flame in a special torch relay operation this Monday (11): the Hercílio Luz Bridge. With 90 years of history, the bridge is listed as a historical, artistic and architectural heritage of Brazil. The recognition takes into account the importance of the bridge which, at the time it was built, represented a decisive milestone for the development of Florianópolis by connecting the city with the mainland. Currently, the structure is undergoing restoration which promises to return it to traffic use by the end of 2018.

At the time, the structure was considered one of the great feats of international engineering. The bridge has been closed since 1982 for safety reasons, but it remains a point of contemplation for tourists and locals, since the viewpoint located at the island end offers one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the city center. The bridge is approximately 820 meters long with a central span of 339 meters. The metal towers are about 75 meters high.

HISTORY

With the construction of the bridge, the government of Santa Catarina at the time imagined overcoming the pressures from inland political forces that wanted to transfer the capital to an area in the center of the state. Therefore, according to the Santa Catarina Cultural Foundation, when it was inaugurated in 1926, the Hercílio Luz Bridge (which was initially called the Independence Bridge) had the affirmative and political significance of keeping the capital in Florianópolis.