The remains emerged in the summer of 2003, when water levels on the Tisza were extremely low. Since then, experts have conjectured that they are from a bridge built in 1562, the first permanent bridge in Hungary.
The remains are being surveyed with a special sonar on loan from the Octopus Marine Archaeology Research Association. A three-dimensional image will be created afterward which local divers will use as a map when they collect samples to determine the bridge?s age, the project?s chief archaeologist Róbert Kertész said.
The project is supported by the local government, the National Culture Fund and area residents.
Records show the first permanent bridge spanning the Tisza was built by Hungarian craftsmen during the Turkish occupation. The oak bridge was about 6 metres wide and 110 metres long. A group of craftsmen from Debrecen were hired to repair the bridge from damage by winter ice.
Later bridges spanning the Tisza at Szolnok were also made of wood and suffered the same damage. The last one was destroyed in 1906.
Source: www.mult-kor.hu / Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
