The first stone bridge to be constructed in the Baltic States was erected in the 18th century at one end of the Town Hall Square in Tartu, with two triumphal arches and a raisable mid-section. Dedicated to Russian empress Catherine II, it was opened to traffic in 1784. The bridge was destroyed during World War II. All that remains to admire is the 2004 model of the bridge (created by Tiiu Kirsipuu).