The pedestrian bridge of Pollare

Those who love industrial archaeology will find a gem in Pollare: an iron pedestrian bridge over the Dender. It was protected by Min. Decree of 16 July 1987 because of its industrial-archaeological value.
Traditionally, there was a bridge approximately on the site of the current bridge. Until the canalization works of 1863-1867, however, the Dender formed a large S-shaped winding, so that the bridge, perhaps a wooden arch bridge, was an extension of the Schuitstraat. Next to it, within one of the meanders stood the castle, first mentioned in 1267 and already in the 16th century already in ruin. Possibly the bridge also disappeared at that time.
In the Middle Ages there was certainly a stone or wooden crossing that connected Pollare with Appelterre and Eichem. In 1443, the maintenance of the bridge even gave rise to a dispute between the lord of Pollare and Jan de Coninck, owner of the Molenmeersch loan. Also in 1612 and 1674 mention was made of the former bridge at Pollare. Both on the Sanderus map of the land of Aelst (1644) and on the Ferraris map (1771) only the Schuitstraat still appears and there is no trace of the road Pollare -Eichem.
It is certain that there was a spring in the 18th century. In pollare's map book from 1762 you will find a nice image of this. Near this ferry was an inn called "'t Schuyt". In the mid-19th century, Pollare experienced major changes in both landscape and socio-economic terms. In 1855 the Aalst-Geraardsbergen railway line, with a stop at Eichem, became a fact and in the period 1863-1867 the canal works on the Dender were carried out. The medieval castle motte was excavated and the 2 meanders on the Schuitstraat straightened. The Schuitstraat itself was extended and the inn 't Schuyt was no longer located on the water. The inn was renamed "'t Oud Schuyt" and continued to exist until WW II. However, a new tension was added to the water: "In the Black Flesch". The inn served as an overnight place for skippers and ship tractors and there were stables for the draft horses. The ferry also experienced a new revival thanks to the commuting work via the Eichem stop.
In 1905 there were plans for a fixed riverbank connection, but it was not until early 1913 that the bridge was put into use. Partly thanks to the good reputation of the Dender as a fishing river, the bridge became a magnet for many tourists during the interwar period. In May 1940 the bridge was blown up by retreating British soldiers and broke into 2 pieces. After a partial refurbishment in 1941, the bridge was fully restored in 1948. From the 50s onwards, the bridge and the inn lost importance: the fishermen stayed away due to the increasing pollution of the Dender, the towpath was demolished and the bridge was slowly being let down. In 1977, with the merger of the municipalities, it became the property of the city of Ninove. On July 16, 1987, the bridge was finally classified because of its value in the field of iron architecture and industrial archaeology. In the meantime, the towpath has been renovated, the bridge itself has been restored and on the site where "De Zwarte Flesch" used to be, the home 'Schoonderhaege' for adult disabled people has now been built. Schoonderhaege wanted to revalue this historic place in its function as a meeting place by running a café along the now busy towpath. This also offered a direct form of integration for its residents.

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