Record-low Danube levels reveal a “ghost bridge” beneath Budapest. These are the remains of Budapest’s original Franz Joseph Bridge, which have rested beneath the Danube for more than 80 years. Opened in 1896 to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the Hungarian state, the ornate green bridge connected Buda and Pest. Emperor Franz Joseph I attended its inauguration and reportedly drove in the final ceremonial rivet himself. The bridge’s central span was destroyed in January 1945 during the Siege of Budapest. As Soviet forces advanced, retreating German troops demolished the city’s Danube bridges, sending the Franz Joseph Bridge’s middle section crashing into the river. After the war, the surviving sections were repaired, and the bridge reopened in August 1946 as Liberty Bridge. Some of the original wreckage, however, remained underwater. In July 2026, prolonged drought and extreme heat caused the Danube to fall to a record low of about 9 inches in Budapest, exposing the “ghost bridge” once again. The remains had also briefly emerged during exceptionally low water in 2018. Liberty Bridge was the first of Budapest’s destroyed Danube bridges to reopen after World War II, returning to service less than 18 months after its destruction.(Historic Vids)