HW0003

Did You Know?

Ou Brug (Old Bridge) over the Spekboom River near Lydenburg (now Mashishing, Mpumalanga) was constructed in 1897 as a stone and iron bridge to replace an earlier drift or pontoon crossing. It served as a key transport link for the Lydenburg gold fields and agricultural region, connecting the town to the wider Transvaal road network. The bridge is a rare surviving example of late-19th-century bridge engineering in the province, reflecting the economic boom of the Lydenburg district during that era. The structure has been declared a provincial heritage site, though it is no longer in active use for vehicular traffic. The Spekboom River itself is a tributary of the Olifants River, and the bridge's location was historically significant for wagon transport before the advent of modern roads.

AI-assisted · may contain inaccuracies