A controversial bridge in Germany opened in August after years of argument and litigation.
Self-study activity:
Watch this short BBC video clip and answer the questions below.
The activity is suitable for intermediate students.
1 Whereabouts in Dresden was the bridge built?
2 What consequence has the building of the bridge had for Dresden?
3 How long have the inhabitants of Dresden been arguing about the bridge?
4 How did they work out the problem in the end?
5 What does 981 refer to in the video clip?
6 How much did the bridge cost?
To check your answers, you can read the transcript below.
On the face of it the bridge doesn’t look that bad, another functional road bridge over a river. There are probably millions like it round the world. But this one is in view of Dresden’s historic river bank, with its palaces and churches, and in the middle of the Grand Valley of the Elba. So the city’s status as a World Heritage Site was taken away.
Today’s celebrations opening the structure come after twenty years of arguments. There have been legal cases and resignations, until finally the people voted in a referendum for the bridge.
There are nine hundred and eighty-one World Heritage Sites in the world, from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to the Victoria Falls on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, but not now in Dresden. It was a bridge too far for Unesco.
In the city the debate is now whether the loss in tourist income will be more than the 182m euros the structure cost.
Steve Evans BBC News, Germany.
