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Bridge Of Sighs

The Last Glimpse

The Bridge of Sighs in Venice is an early 17th century baroque stone bridge that connects the Doge's Palace with the prison. The name of the bridge is derived from the sighs of the prisoners who entered the prison after their trial in the Doge's Palace, when they passed through the open windows of the bridge.

The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) in Venice is an early 17th century Baroque Stone Bridge, located on the east side of the Doge’s Palace in Venice. The best place to admire the Bridge of Sighs is at the Straw Bridge (Ponte della Paglia) along the canal.

The Bridge of Sighs connects the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace with the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove). Prisoners who were sentenced in the Doge’s Palace would enter their cells through the Bridge of Sighs. As they passed through the bridge’s windows, they sighed with a sense of loss of their freedom and the beauty of their lives.

Doge's Palace

Center of Power of Venice

The Doge's Palace, the official residence of the Doge of Venice, is located south of St. Mark's Basilica and next to St. Mark's Little Square. Inside the Gothic-style building, there are rooms as the Chamber of the Great Council, the Four Doors Room and precious frescoes.

Manywhere Trivia:
The Bridge of Sighs and Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal are two of Venice’s most famous bridges, the former designed by Antonio Contino and the latter designed and built by Antonio da Ponte. The two architects are related as nephew and uncle.

There are many bridges or sky corridors in the world that imitate the Bridge of Sighs, some of them are also named as “Bridge of Sighs”, including the Bridge of Sighs at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, as well as the Seufzerbrücke of Frankfurt City Hall.