The Bridge Guard provides a 3 - 6 month residency in Stúrovo, Slovakia, for artists, scientists and others who work on projects which emphasise uniting, connecting and bridging. Participants 'guard' the Mária Valéria bridge between Stúrovo (Slovakia) and Esztergom (Hungary), help keep a Bridge Guard diary and are involved in programmes with the local community. The bridge itself was built in 1895 and has been destroyed twice, in 1920 and 1944. The residency programme started in 2004.