There are written records of the Danube crossing between Esztergom and túrovo as early as 170 AD. Initially it was done by raft, from 1075 by ferry, during the Turkish occupation, and from 1585 to 1683 by stable ship bridge. Then a flying bridge was put into service: a floating device on 7 boats, held by a 400 m long rope and propelled by the current of the water from one bank to the other. It was during Gábor Baross’s ministership that plans were made to build a permanent iron bridge, which was inaugurated in 1895 at a ceremony and named after the most Hungarian of royal archduchesses, Maria Valeria, daughter of Franz Joseph, born in Buda. The first pillar of the bridge was destroyed by an explosion in 1919 and completely renovated in 1927, replacing the outdated wooden structure with reinforced concrete. In 1944, during World War II, an explosion rendered the bridge unusable, and afterwards it was used for boat trips, small boats and ferries carrying cars. Since 11 October 2001, the bridge has been fully restored to its original length. The bridge spans 518m in length and 12m wide over the Danube with 9.5 high spans.
