about bridges

something from todays Lithuanian/ Russian border at the kaliningrad oblast
(i told this by email to some of you)
close to todays sovietsk (former tilsit) there is a bridge across the river
nemunas, called Luisenbrücke when it was build in 1907.
In that time the river Memel was the Border between East Prussia, Germany
and the Russian province of lithuanian lands.
WWI came and Lithuania gained independence. The border now was
German-Lithuanian.
WWII came and the Russians. Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union and
the northern part of East Prussia, became Russian too as Kaliningrad Oblast.
For 46 years the river nemunas was no border. But in 1991 Lithuania gained
independence again and the Kaliningrad Oblast became a Russian enclave.
Funny thing about the bridge? Russia changed the side of the Luisenbrücke.

here a link with two fotos of the old time
http://www.provinz-ostpreussen.de/tilsitragnit/ra_tilsit.html
here a link with fotos of today http://www.ostsicht.de/memelfluss.htm

something about longest bridge:

when poland was devided the third time in 1797, germany got former polish
land. the border was again the river memel, neman, nemunas. in kaunas was a
bridge from the russian side to the german side.
funny thing about the bridge? in germany they had since 1582 the gregorian
calendar (on february 24th 1582 pope gregor XIII made a decision known as
"Inter gravissimas". on 4th of october 1582 should followed directly the
15th, a difference of 11 days, this to correct the difference between
astronomical realities and the calendar actually used ). but this new
calendar was not used everywhere, in russia they used the old calendar until
1917 until the october revolution (that was in "new" calendar categories a
november revolution). that difference still existed in kaunas in the years
1797 to 1807, so the bridge was the longest in the world, because it took 11
days to cross it...

bye, chris

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brendan Whyte" <brwhyte@...>
To: <BoundaryPoint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2001 2:02 AM
Subject: [BoundaryPoint] RE: short bridges

> the shortest international bridge in the
> >world.....
> >
> I see your short bridge and raise you a shorter bridge:
>
> there's a couple of planks spanning a small stream on the Thai/Burmese
> border, south of Mae Sot. 6' maybe.
>
> BW
>
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