The Treskow Bridge (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: ''Treskowbrücke'') is a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

across the

Spree Spree may refer to: Film and television * ''The Spree'', a 1998 American television film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace * ''Spree'' (film), a 2020 American film starring Joe Keery * "Spree" (''Numbers''), an episode of the television show ''Number ...

river in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, connecting the

Oberschöneweide Oberschöneweide (, literally ''Upper Schöneweide'') is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the Berlin borough (''Bezirk'') of Treptow-Köpenick. It is, with Niederschöneweide (''Lower Schöneweide''), part of the geographic area of Schöne ...

and

Niederschöneweide Niederschöneweide (, literally ''Lower Schöneweide'') is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the Berlin borough (''Bezirk'') of Treptow-Köpenick. It is, with Oberschöneweide (''Upper Schöneweide''), part of the geographic quarter of Sch� ...

districts of Berlin's

Treptow-Köpenick Treptow-Köpenick () is the ninth Boroughs of Berlin, borough of Berlin, Germany, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Treptow and Köpenick. The borough was formerly part of East Berlin. Overview Among ...

borough. It is named after Sigismund von Treskow, an aristocrat and politician from the Treskow family. The bridge was first completed in 1904, although major reconstruction was necessary in 1954 after it was damaged during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

The original structure was constructed after plans by Karl Bernhard, a German architect and engineer, and it was opened in 1904. The elaborate design included a steel arch and monumental features like a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

and grand stairways. It was named upon inauguration and became increasingly frequented due to the surrounding area's rapid development. It was widened in 1934 to accommodate the larger numbers of vehicles passing over the river Spree, resulting in the loss of some of the architectural elements of the first design. In

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

troops destroyed the structure to hinder the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

from entering Berlin. While creating a lasting obstacle for river traffic in the following years, the destruction of the bridge did not keep the Soviet forces from capturing the city. A wooden pedestrian bridge was erected in 1945 to allow crossings over the river by foot. During the time of the

GDR East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

, the sections of the bridge that were left in the Spree river were removed and reused for the reconstruction of the Treskow Bridge. The repaired bridge was opened in 1954. The bridge was thoroughly renovated in 1981 and between 1999 and 2001.

Tram usage

Since its inauguration in 1904, Treskow Bridge has been used by

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

s, being one of the most important river crossings in eastern Berlin. Today, it is frequented by seven lines of the Berlin tram network (21, 27, 37, 60, 61, 67, M17).

References

{{Authority control History of Berlin Road-rail bridges Bridges completed in 1904 Bridges in Berlin Buildings and structures in Treptow-Köpenick Road bridges in Germany Railway bridges in Germany Treskow family