A chronicle of the world's greatest monument: the Hercílio Luz Bridge in Florianópolis.

I had a happy and perfect life with my friends, we lived in peace, cozy and well protected, kept in perfect condition.

There was no rust, my joints were nice and clean.

Of course, I didn't get any rain or sun, or even the south wind.

Everything was perfect, until one day I heard a buzz about a land project that I had never heard before.

I heard that it was an island, a project thought up by a Mr. Engineer, a certain Hercílio Luz.

This bridge took me out of my comfort zone.

They packed me off to Uncle San's land with some of my friends.

I remember as if it were today that I rocked for around 13,000 kilometers, which felt like a lifetime.

I swear I didn't think I'd get to where I needed to be in one piece.

I couldn't understand why they had taken me away, I had to leave friends and even relatives, who I later learned had also been taken to other places.

When I arrived at my destination, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the place where I had been dropped off,

It was a little piece of land lost at sea, but a little piece of land so beautiful that I wanted to show it to the whole world.

It was then that I discovered why I was there.

It was there to go from being a perfect piece in a warehouse to a piece that would revolutionize the history of this place.

They could have chosen any other piece, but this was my privilege.

Of being the piece responsible for uniting peoples, facilitating lives, revolutionizing histories,

In addition to building my history and also being part of the history of this place of unparalleled beauty, and now I'm not just talking about the little piece of land, I'm talking about the whole state.

I've never been to other places in Santa Catarina, but I've heard from people who have that the state has a privileged terrain, with mountains, plateaus, waterfalls, rivers and beautiful beaches.

I really didn't want to be part of another story, I wanted to be part of this one.

Do you know how old I am?

In August this year (2023) I'll be 96 years old, serving as a bridge between peoples, and do you know how much I've seen in that time?

Do you know how many stories I've been told and how many I've helped to build?

I've seen two seafronts being built, and I've seen endless people, cars, bicycles and boats pass by.

Over the years I've witnessed 90 New Year's Eve fireworks displays, and in many I've been the stage for the world's biggest celebration of the year, the turning to a new hope, only I know what that means.

Every year people from all over the world come here, and sometimes it's just to see me (okay, not just to see me, but I'm one of the attractions), I've become a postcard of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

It's not all flowers at Hercílio Luz

It's true that it's not all flowers, in that time I've seen my fortresses crumble, and of course there was no way they wouldn't suffer, I'm one of the oldest bridges.

I'm even the first in Latin America, and back then, in the 1920s, we didn't have the technology we have today.

What's more, I've been outside, in the rain, in the sun, in the south wind, and this has aged me, caused cracks and of all the others built like me, I'm the only one.

So I'm a technology that deserves to be preserved, I'm exclusive.

Hercílio Luz Bridge in Florianópolis has eyebolt bars removed during renovation

I'm strong, and yes. I need repairs, I need care in this old age, but I don't want to go back to the way things were.

Just a piece. Because before, I was just a piece, with no marks of life, I didn't have a story to tell.

And today I am part of a story that is capable of building a bridge between the past and the future.

I was sad when they closed me down, but now I see hope in serving again to unite not only peoples, but also history.

Who am I?

I am the Barra de Olhal, used to build the Hercílio Luz Bridge, the one that came to bring independence to a people.

It was built to ensure freedom of movement between the island and the mainland.

And after all these repairs I want to serve the children, grandchildren and the entire generation of those who brought meaning to my gears.

I want to set the stage for this generation, I want to see history repeat itself.

I don't want to go to the bottom of the sea or into a box or become a miniature.

I want to be part of the continuity of the history of these people that I have learned to serve.

I only make sense here, uniting the stories of those who built me, those who reformed me, those who have passed through me and those who will pass through me.

Hercílio Luz Bridge: Heritage of Santa Catarina

Hercilio Luz Bridge: A historical heritage site built with eyebars, which today preserves the history of the past and builds a bridge to the future.