Father Bernatek Footbridge

What makes it special

Look up as you cross. Ten acrobatic sculptures by the Polish artist Jerzy Kędziora hang along the bridge, each figure balanced in the air above the deck.

Beneath them, a single arch carries two decks, one hung on each side: walkers on one, cyclists on the other. Road bridges stood on this crossing until the last came down in 1925, and the footbridge opened here in 2010 to join Kazimierz and Podgórze again.

After dark the arch is lit from underneath and LED lighting runs along the railings. The bridge has won awards both as a footbridge and for that illumination.

The railings also carry padlocks. Couples engrave their names on a lock, fix it to the railing and throw the key into the Vistula. The name honours Father Bernatek, a monk of the Brothers Hospitallers.

Visiting

Starting at the Kazimierz end of ul. Mostowa, you step onto the walking deck and head across the river toward Podgórze.

Walk slowly and stop under each figure in turn. They hang along the whole crossing, so the set only comes together if you walk it end to end.

On the Podgórze end, find the small dragon sculpture, one of a set placed around town by residents. Then turn round for the walk back to Kazimierz, pausing midway to look along the Vistula in both directions before you step off at ul. Mostowa.

Tips

Keep to the walking deck for your photographs, because the deck across the arch belongs to cyclists. If you add a padlock of your own, treat it as temporary: the city clears locks from the railings from time to time because of the load they add. Never pull at someone else's lock.