#zoetermeer

Zoetermeer, Nelson Mandelabrug. Photograph below by Marianne Lems.

The bridge was designed by architect Hans Bak and opened in 1992. It's used to connect two parts of the city, and bridges railtracks and a highway. In 2007, it was chosen 2nd place in the 'ugliest place in the country' comoetition (this shows how much we Dutch hate our heritage). In 2022, it appeared the bridge was close to collapsing, which resulted in dismantling the bridge to repair it. The yellow glass has to be recoated every once in a while, which costs a lot (around €50,000 each time). Despite all this, it reopened in 2023. If you ask me, it's a cool high-tech design, which is a rare architectural style in the world.

“In nature, light creates the color. In the picture, color creates the light.” 

- Hans Hofmann