The Danube connects and divides. Loved, feared, and never underestimated, it has been a frontier and a meeting place, carrying the histories of those who live along its shores. Blue, grey, brown, or green, it can be a passing encounter or the longest relationship of a lifetime.
Its bridges are woven into everyday life. Like a zipper, they open and close the distance between the river’s banks, bringing people together across cities, countries, and borders. CO:NNECTING turns towards these familiar crossings, looking at the structures we pass over and the histories, movement, and quiet moments that surround them.
Born in Novi Sad, Dejan Petrović has also lived in Belgrade, Vienna, and Bratislava — cities whose shores have shaped more than fifty years of his relationship with the Danube. He dedicates this project to everyone who is, has been, or will be CO:NNECTED to the river.
14 photographs
Most slobode
Novi Sad · SerbiaLiberty Bridge emerges from the morning mist. Designed by Nikola Hajdin and opened in 1981, it connects Novi Sad across the Danube. Its destruction in 1999 forms part of the city’s recent memory.
01 / 14Reichsbrücke
Vienna · AustriaLight traces the bridge across the dark water. Vienna’s Reichsbrücke brings road traffic, the U-Bahn, pedestrians, and cyclists together on two levels — a crossing woven into the everyday life of the city.
02 / 14Szabadság híd
Budapest · HungaryGreen steel, ornate towers, and sculptural detail mark Budapest’s Liberty Bridge. Built for the millennium celebrations at the end of the nineteenth century, it joins the riverbanks with a distinctive architectural presence.
03 / 14Erzsébet híd
Budapest · HungaryTraffic becomes a continuous line of light on Elisabeth Bridge. The restrained suspension bridge of the 1960s replaced the earlier crossing destroyed during the Second World War, carrying an older name into a new cityscape.
04 / 14Szabadság híd
Budapest · HungaryOrnamental lamps and tramlines disappear into the fog on Liberty Bridge. The photograph draws the monumental crossing into an intimate view: light, rails, and the quiet expectation of movement.
05 / 14Nordbahnbrücke
Vienna · AustriaSteel trusses, masonry, and traces of everyday use meet at Vienna’s Northern Railway Bridge. The crossing links Brigittenau and Floridsdorf, placing the city’s railway infrastructure within the life of the riverbank.
06 / 14Nordbrücke and Steinitzsteg
Vienna · AustriaTwo crossings run side by side above the Danube: the Nordbrücke and the Steinitzsteg. Seen from the water, their parallel structures reveal the different routes through which the city connects its riverbanks.
07 / 14Margit híd
Budapest · HungaryMargaret Bridge curves across the evening river towards Margaret Island. Designed by Ernest Goüin and opened in 1876, Budapest’s second permanent Danube bridge brings the island and both banks into a single crossing.
08 / 14Ilok–Bačka Palanka Bridge
Ilok / Bačka Palanka · Croatia / SerbiaOpened in 1974 as the 25 May Bridge, this crossing links Ilok and Bačka Palanka. Its reflection suggests continuity across the water, while the bridge itself spans the border between Croatia and Serbia.
09 / 14Steinitzsteg
Vienna · AustriaYellow lamps follow the curve of the Steinitzsteg above the river. Originally built as a temporary road crossing beside the Nordbrücke, it later became a route for walking and cycling, named after chess champion Wilhelm Steinitz.
10 / 14Donaustadtbrücke
Vienna · AustriaThe illuminated pylon and its cables are mirrored in still water. First used as a temporary road crossing, the Donaustadtbrücke became part of Vienna’s U2 route in 2010, connecting Leopoldstadt and Donaustadt.
11 / 14Donaustadtbrücke
Vienna · AustriaFrom track level, cables and rails converge beneath an illuminated pylon. The Donaustadtbrücke’s engineering becomes a study of direction and rhythm, carrying the U2 across Vienna’s river landscape.
12 / 14Most SNP
Bratislava · SlovakiaA walkway curves beneath Most SNP towards its unmistakable tower. Opened in 1972, the bridge connected Petržalka more closely with the city; its approach roads also displaced much of Bratislava’s historic Jewish quarter.
13 / 14Széchenyi lánchíd
Budapest · HungaryA stone lion watches over the Chain Bridge. Opened in 1849, the crossing was designed by William Tierney Clark and built under Adam Clark, becoming a defining link between Buda and Pest.
14 / 14