Håverud Aqueduct

A railway, waterway, and roadway can all be seen suspended in the air in Håverud in Sweden. With its construction made out of riveted sheets of metal, the aqueduct has a unique look.

It was constructed in 1868 by the Swedish engineer Nils Ericsson (brother to John Ericsson, who constructed the Monitor battleships used in the American Civil War). The Håverud Aqueduct was an ingenious solution to the problem of how to connect the lakes around Håverud. The steep valley and strong rapids made the location hard to pass and the first solution thought of was to unload a ship, transport people on goods on a horse-powered railway to get past the difficult section and then get on another boat. Ericsson came up with an idea that would avoid the problem entirely by constructing an aqueduct and leading the boats past the dangerous rapids. The idea seemed daring to many at the time, but Nils Ericsson was known for being a skilled engineer which helped the project to become a reality.

Not only was the 33.5-meter (110-foot) aqueduct an engineering marvel at the time but to this day not a single rivet has needed a replacement since its construction!