Adana’s breathtaking Varda railway bridge earns popularity after ‘Skyfall’
ADANA - Anadolu Agency
The 172-meter-long and 98-meter-high Varda Bridge was featured in the James Bond series’ 25th film, ‘Skyfall.’ Now it is popular among visitors to Adana.
The historic Varda Railway Bridge in the southern province of Adana’s Hacıkırı village was a filming location for scenes for the latest James Bond film, “Skyfall” the longest film series in the world that celebrated its 50th year in 2012. The 200-person production team came to Turkey in January 2012 for three months.The 172-meter-long and 98-meter-high bridge was featured in the opening 15-minute part of the series’ 25th film along with Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Museum and the Aegean province of Fethiye.
The steel case stone masonry-type bridge was built in 1888 within the scope of a contract between the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamit II and German Emperor Kaiser Willhem in order to complete the Baghdad-Hedjaz Railway line.
Known as Koca Köprü among locals, the bridge was also called the German Bridge because it was built by Germans.
Income for villagers
The bridge is remembered for a scene when the actor Daniel Craig is falling from the train. After the film, the bridge is now very popular among local and foreign tourists, as well as photography aficionados. In Adana, groups of people get on trains in the morning and get off the Hacıkırı station to visit the bridge and its surroundings.
As the number of its visitors increased, the Varda Bridge is a new income channel for villagers. Some offer local tastes of Adana in their cafes around the bridge.
One of the locals, Mustafa Avcı said especially on weekends, he was spending time on the bridge after “Skyfall.” He said they were doing their best to host visitors and offer them tea and gözleme (Turkish appetizer).
“I have been in the region for 11 years. Following the film, there are people coming from the U.S., Britain, Russia and France. The bridge is very important for the development of our village,” he said.
