Maribor's coachmen were the most delighted when, in 1912, the Austrians inaugurated what is now called the Stari Most—the Old Bridge—over the Drava River, replacing a wooden structure that caused a frustrating bottleneck on the busy road from Vienna to Trieste. Linking the elevated districts of Lent and Tabor to the north and south, the Stari Most eventually became a symbol of the city, although it left the Drava riverbanks disconnected at the lower level. The new Splavarska pedestrian bridge now reconnects both margins very close to the Old Bridge. Beside it, the new bridge remains silent, emphasizing the presence of the old metallic structure while distinguishing itself through a different materiality. Entirely wrapped in wood—azobé on the interior and tinted larch on the exterior—it pays a muted tribute to the historical activity of the rafters who traditionally linked the two banks, acquiring an archaic and timeless character.

Its wooden planks will soon acquire a greyish, imprecise hue that will improve with each passing day, dissolving its material and structural expression over time. In this way, spanning the river, it evokes the large logs that once descended the Drava from mountain timber operations, or the former wooden bridge that stood where the new one now rests, providing a recognizable image that is already part of Maribor’s memory.

The bridge features a very shallow arched profile formed by two steel girders situated on either side of the deck. It has a total length of 132 meters with three spans of over 42 meters, supported within the riverbed by two groups of piers. Each group consists of seven slender galvanized steel tubes at different inclinations, whose lightness makes the bridge appear to float weightlessly over the river. The Splavarska is abstract and does not reveal its load-bearing structure—unlike the Stari Most—possessing a singular character and a clear identity that sits halfway between the natural and the artificial. Furthermore, it reiterates its connective function by incorporating a sophisticated version of the tin can telephone from childhood experiments, using a tensioned steel cable and two integrated vessels at the ends of the railing, turning the river crossing into a playful experience.