In the 19th century, on the site of the current bridge there was a wooden bridge called "Große-Brücke", replaced around 1871 by a new metal one.
At the beginning of the 20th century, it was decided to be replaced with a modern reinforced concrete bridge in order to support the development of the infrastructure, and the metallic structure of the old one was used to build a new downstream bridge (the current Metal Bridge).
Thus, in 1911, a public competition was organized for the realization of the architectural projects for the new bridge. Out of 21 projects, the winner was declared architect Elemér Wachtel. The proposed project was a monumental, romantic one with a medieval appearance. It was provided with towers, galleries and several statues, among which we mention the equestrian statue of Iancu de Hunedoara.
The outbreak of the First World War has diminished these plans, and after the war the artistic works of the project have never been achieved.
