JERUSALEM — A ship’s sail, a crooked nail or a giant headache — the people of Jerusalem can’t agree on how best to describe the newest landmark their ancient city inaugurated Wednesday.
The $73 million bridge, designed by the Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava, suddenly has become the most dominant shape on the city skyline. The bridge, which curves across Jerusalem’s western entrance and will eventually carry a light-rail line, is suspended from 66 white cables attached to a spire 387 feet high that towers over the surrounding rooftops and is visible from miles away.
The gala dedication ceremony itself, with fireworks, dancers and speeches, cost more than $500,000.
Calatrava’s bridge is a flamboyant departure for a city whose famous architecture was provided by people like King Herod and Suleiman the Great and where most modern construction is functional and uninspiring. It has a hard act to follow, joining famed landmarks like the 1,300-year-old golden cap of the Dome of the Rock mosque and the stones of the Western Wall, which date back two millennia.
It is also a striking — some would say jarring — architectural contrast to the more contemporary structures in the city. The pure-white spire leaps skyward among buildings faced in Jerusalem stone, an off-white limestone quarried in Israel as required by municipal bylaws.
An informal survey of residents Wednesday found them generally positive about the new bridge, if unsure quite what to compare it to.
“From everywhere in the city, it looks like a giant crooked nail,” cafe owner Yaron Kortik said.
Ran Yaakov, 17, said the bridge reminded him of “David’s harp,” referring to the biblical monarch and musician. Evyatar Tzuberi, 23, thought it looked like a ship’s sail. And 19-year-old Orlie Marin compared it to a spider’s web.
