Barnhusbron is a bridge

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

 in central Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. Passing over Barnhusviken

Barnhusviken

Barnhusviken is a body of water in central Stockholm, Sweden. Separating the island Kungsholmen from the mainland district Norrmalm north of it, it connects Karlbergssjön to Klara Sjö....

, it connects Kungsholmen

Kungsholmen

Kungsholmen is an island in Lake Mälaren in Sweden, part of Stockholm City. It is situated north of Riddarfjärden and considered part of the historical province Uppland....

 to Norrmalm. It is 23 metres wide and 290 metres long with a maximum span of 64.5 metres. The roadway is made of prestressed concrete

Prestressed concrete

Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete...

 except for two non-tensioned concrete section in its eastern end.

Built in 1969 and of mostly local importance, Barnhusbron connects Scheelegatan on Kungsholmen to Tegnérgatan on Norrmalm, failing to fulfil its original purpose, to relieve the traffic load of its two older neighbouring bridges. Another misjudgement, now scrapped plans to relocate the Klarastrandsleden motorway to a viaduct

Viaduct

A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...

 above the railway, both still passing under the bridge on the ground, caused to bridge to be made exceptionally tall to be a bridge in central Stockholm.

Nearby bridges include Kungsbron

Kungsbron

Kungsbron is a double bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching over Klara Sjö, it connects Norrmalm to Kungsholmen.- History :...

, Sankt Eriksbron

Sankt Eriksbron

Sankt Eriksbron is a bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden. Passing over Barnhusviken it connects Kungsholmen to Norrmalm. The present construction was inaugurated in 1937...

, Stadshusbron

Stadshusbron

Stadshusbron , formerly known as Nya Kungsholmsbron is a bridge in central Stockholm, Sweden located just north of the Stockholm City Hall...

, Klarabergsviadukten

Klarabergsviadukten

Klarabergsviadukten is a reinforced concrete bridge and a viaduct in central Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching over Klara Sjö, it connects Norrmalm to Kungsholmen....

, and Ekelundsbron

Ekelundsbron

Ekelundsbron is a bridge in Stockholm, Sweden. Passing over the canal Karlbergskanalen, it connects the city district Stadshagen on Kungsholmen to the northern suburb Solna....

.

About the name

In the 1630s, an orphanage

Orphanage

An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...

 (barnhus) and penitentiary

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

 (tukthus) on Riddarholmen

Riddarholmen

Riddarholmen is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating from the 17th century...

 were moved to two buildings on a street north of Norra Latin today called Barnhusgatan. The bridge, together with several other structures and areas, were named after the orphanage around 1860 when the area underwent an urbanization process.