The Waalbrug 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 ...
over the
Waal River
The Waal (Dutch language, Dutch name, ) is the main distributary branch of the river Rhine flowing approximately through the Netherlands. It is the major waterway connecting the port of Rotterdam to Germany. Before it reaches Rotterdam, it join ...
in
Nijmegen
Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...
,
Gelderland
Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...
, the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. The full length of the Waalbrug is , the middle of the arch being about high. The arch itself is long and was the longest arch in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
at the time of construction.
[
Unlike many other bridges from the same period and with the same construction, like the IJsselbrug near ]Zwolle
Zwolle () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel ...
, the Graafsebrug and the John Frost Bridge
John Frost Bridge (''John Frostbrug'' in Dutch language, Dutch) is the road bridge over the Lower Rhine at Arnhem, in the Netherlands.
The bridge was inaugurated after the end of World War II, and is named after Major-General (United Kingdom), Ma ...
at Arnhem
Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...
, the Waalbrug is an arch bridge in the literal sense: all forces truly work on the two pylons.
History
The bridge was opened on 16 June 1936 by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, making her the longest- ...
in the presence of 200,000 people.
Until 1936 there had been no permanent connection for traffic to the other side of the Waal. All traffic had to use the ''Zeldenrust'' (seldom rest) ferry
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
. Train traffic had used the Nijmegen railway bridge
The Nijmegen railway bridge () is a truss bridge spanning the River Waal in the Netherlands, connecting the city of Nijmegen to the town of Lent.
Construction
Construction started in 1875, on the site of an ancient Roman bridge, and was comple ...
since 1879.
In 1906 the ''Nijmegen Vooruit'' (Nijmegen Ahead) committee started planning for the construction of the Waalbrug, but the First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
delayed the project. In 1927 definitive plans had been made by architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
G. Schoorl, and construction of the bridge started on 23 October 1931.
On 10 May 1940, at the start of the German invasion of the Netherlands
The German invasion of the Netherlands (), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands (), was a military campaign, part of Case Yellow (), the Nazi German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) and Fran ...
, Dutch combat engineers blew up the bridge to stop the German army's advance.
In 1944 the Germans planned to blow up the bridge again, but Jan van Hoof
Jan Jozef Lambert van Hoof (7 August 1922 – 19 September 1944) was a member of the Dutch resistance in World War II, who cooperated with Allies of World War II, Allied Forces during Operation Market Garden. He is credited with disabling explos ...
, a Rover Scout
Rovers or Rovering is a programme associated with some Scout organizations for adults, originated by The Boy Scouts Association in the United Kingdom in 1918 to provide a programme for young men who had grown up beyond the age range of the Boy ...
and member of the Dutch Resistance, managed to prevent this. On 20 September 1944, the bridge was captured by allied forces during Operation Market Garden. A plaque was added to the bridge to commemorate van Hoof's actions.
The bridge was painted green until 1980, these days it is white.
Traffic
Over the years the volume of traffic on the bridge increased, with regular rush hour traffic jams. By 2005 over 50,000 vehicles used the bridge every 24 hours.
To ease congestion a new road bridge, ''De Oversteek
''De Oversteek'' (The Crossing), also called ''Stadsbrug'' (City Bridge), is a road bridge over the river Waal in the Netherlands. Opened in 2013, it is situated immediately to the west of Nijmegen city centre. The bridge has four traffic lanes, ...
'' ('The Crossing'), was built 2km downstream, opening on the 24 November 2013. For cyclists there is the ''Snelbinder
The Nijmegen railway bridge () is a truss bridge spanning the River Waal in the Netherlands, connecting the city of Nijmegen to the town of Lent.
Construction
Construction started in 1875, on the site of an ancient Roman bridge, and was comple ...
'' Bridge, which is connected to the rail bridge, opened in 2004.
Once ''de Oversteek'' opened, the Waalbrug was closed briefly for renovation work.
In popular culture
The Waalbrug can be found in the 1977 film '' A Bridge Too Far'', ''Band of Brothers (book)
''Band of Brothers'', subtitled, ''E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne: From Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest'', by Stephen E. Ambrose, is an examination of a parachute infantry company in the 101st Airborne Division in the European Th ...
'' and the computer games: '' Medal of Honor: Frontline'', '' Medal of Honor: Vanguard'', '' Medal of Honor: Airborne'' and ''Battlefield V
''Battlefield V'' is a 2018 first-person shooter game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. The game is the successor to 2016's '' Battlefield 1'' and the eleventh main installment in the ''Battlefield'' series. It is based on Wor ...
''.
References
{{Authority control
Arch bridges
Bridges completed in 1936
Bridges over the Rhine
Road bridges in the Netherlands
Steel bridges in the Netherlands
Bridges in Nijmegen