Old Bridge (Heidelberg)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Karl Theodor Bridge (), commonly known as the Old Bridge (''Alte Brücke''), is an
arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its structural load, loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either si ...
in
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
that crosses the
Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...
river. It connects the Old City with the eastern part of the Neuenheim district of the city on the opposite bank. The current bridge, made of Neckar sandstone and the ninth built on the site, was constructed in 1788 by
Elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of t ...
Charles Theodore, and is one of the best-known landmarks and tourist destinations in Heidelberg.


History

Although the Karl Theodor Bridge was completed nearly 250 years ago, it is young compared to the age of Heidelberg. The nickname "Old Bridge" dates from the construction of the Theodor Heuss Bridge in 1877 (then known as the Friedrichs Bridge). Since the thirteenth century there have been eight bridges on the site; the current bridge is built on their foundations. The bridge gate () at the south end of the bridge also dates from the Middle Ages. On March 29, 1945, German troops blew up three of the bridge’s arches and two of its pillars, features that were restored after the end of World War II.


Precursors

The Romans built the first bridge in the region of what is now
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
in the first century CE. This wooden
pile bridge A pile bridge is a structure that uses foundations consisting of long poles (referred to as piles), which are made of wood, concrete or steel and which are hammered into the soft soils beneath the bridge until the end of the pile reaches a hard ...
, located between what are now the districts of Neuenheim and Bergheim, was rebuilt in stone around the year 200. After the Roman bridge collapsed Heidelberg was without a bridge for nearly a thousand years. The next mention of a bridge over the Neckar is in 1284. Although the exact date of construction is unknown, it is believed to have been built shortly after the foundation of the city of Heidelberg in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century. The bridge was positioned on the site of the current one, directly aligned with the marketplace. As well as connecting the town with
Schönau Abbey Schönau Abbey may refer to: * Schönau Abbey (Nassau), Benedictine monastery founded in 1126 * Schönau Abbey (Odenwald), Cistercian monastery founded in 1142 *, Cistercian nunnery founded in 1189 See also * Frauenchiemsee, called Schönau in ...
, the bridge may have encouraged north-south traffic to pass through Heidelberg, rather than around it. The bridge marked the border of the County Palatinate of the Rhine, as the northern bank of the Neckar belonged to the
Electorate of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz ( or '; ), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop-Elec ...
until 1460. The bridge therefore formed part of Heidelberg's defenses, secured by the gate on its southern end. The first bridge was destroyed by an ice floe in 1288, with several other bridges meeting the same fate after brief life spans. The second bridge was destroyed by an ice flow in 1308, the third in 1340, the fourth around 1400 and the fifth in 1470. Although there are no surviving depictions of these first five bridges, there are two depictions of the sixth by
Sebastian Münster Sebastian Münster (20 January 1488 – 26 May 1552) was a German cartographer and cosmographer. He also was a Christian Hebraist scholar who taught as a professor at the University of Basel. His well-known work, the highly accurate world map, ...
, hence its nickname, 'the Münster bridge' (). A small, round woodcut in Münster's 1527 '' Calendarium Hebraicum'' shows a simple view of Heidelberg, including the bridge, but there is a much more detailed depiction in the artist's '' Cosmographia'' of 1550. In the Heidelberg Panorama a bridge on eight stone pillars is visible, with a covered wooden roadway that is open at the sides. The two towers of the bridge gate can be made out at the southern end of the bridge, while the monkey tower (''Affenturm'') is on the seventh pillar, towards the north end of the bridge. On the 2 February 1565 an ice floe destroyed the bridge's covered wooden roadway. The seventh bridge, built on the surviving stone pillars, was known as the "Merian Bridge" (''Merian-Brücke''), due to its prominence in
Matthäus Merian Matthäus is a given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: ;Surname * Lothar Matthäus, (born 1961), German former football player and manager ;Given name * Matthäus Aurogallus, Professor of Hebrew at the University of Wittenberg ...
's 1620 engraving of the city. Its appearance was similar to that of its predecessors, except that the span was covered between the monkey tower and the newly constructed
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
tower. The bridge survived the conquest of Heidelberg by Johann Tserclaes in 1622 during the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
unscathed, but was demolished on 2 March 1689 by the French under Mélac during the first destruction of the city in the
Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...
. In the stead of a permanent bridge, Heidelbergers used
pontoon bridge A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, is a bridge that uses float (nautical), floats or shallow-draft (hull), draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the support ...
s and river ferries for nearly 20 years. Construction on the eighth bridge finally began in 1786 and lasted for two years. To provide footing, the old pillars were repaired and the bridge was built laterally, again out of wood. The Affenturm was rebuilt in smaller scale at the northern gate, allowing barracks to be built on the second and seventh piers, where the statues of Karl Theodor and
Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...
now stand. This bridge also had two stone arches spanning from the river back and between both guardhouses that was retained in the modern bridge. The towers of the bridge gate that survived 1689 were fitted with canopy roofs in 1714. In 1738, a statue of
John of Nepomuk John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) (; ; ) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393) was a saint of Bohemia (a western part of what is now the Czech Republic) who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. Later accounts st ...
was erected on the Neuenstadt side of the bridge, earning the eighth bridge the name "Nepomuk bridge" (''Nepomuk Brücke'').


Affenturm

As early as the 15th century there has been a statue of a monkey on the Old Bridge holding a mirror, which disappeared during the
Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...
. The current statue was designed by Gernot Rumpf and erected in 1979. The statue holds a mirror in one hand and forms the
sign of the horns The sign of the horns is a hand gesture with a variety of meanings and uses in various cultures. It is formed by extending the index finger, index and little fingers while holding the middle finger, middle and ring fingers down with the thum ...
with the other. Below the monkey is a poem by
Martin Zeiler Martin Zeiler (also ''Zeiller'', born 17 April 1589 in Ranten, died 6 October 1661 in Ulm) was a Baroque era German author. Zeiler's father was an exile from Upper Styria, forced to emigrate due to his protestant confession. Zeiler was schoo ...
written in 1632, reading, ''Why are you staring at me?''
''Haven't you seen the old Monkey of Heidelberg?''
''Look to and fro,''
''There you will find many more of my kind.'' (''Was thustu mich hie angaff en?''
''Hastu nicht gesehen den alten Affen zu Heydelberg?''
''Sich dich hin und her,''
''Da findestu wol meines gleichen mehr.'') Tourists can place their heads within the monkey's head. Local legend has it that rubbing the mirror brings good luck, rubbing the fingers ensure a return to Heidelberg, and the little bronze-cast mice nearby bring fertility.


See also

*
List of medieval stone bridges in Germany This list of medieval stone bridges in Germany includes bridges that were built during the Middle Ages (between c. 500 and 1500 AD) on the territory of the present Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. Table of medieval stone bridges Referenc ...
*
List of bridges in Germany This list of bridges in Germany lists bridges of particular historical, scenic, architectural or engineering interest. Road and railway bridges, viaducts, aqueducts and footbridges are included. Historical and architectural interest bridges {{ro ...


Notes


References


German

Published references * * * External links *


English

External links * * {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Heidelberg Tourist attractions in Heidelberg Bridges in Baden-Württemberg 1788 in the Holy Roman Empire Neckar basin