Old Lahn Bridge (Limburg)

Old Lahn Bridge Limburg

Technical specifications
length	106 m
Max. Span	14.58 m
Superstructure width	today 8.75 m
Construction height
Max. Height above valley
system	Arch bridge

Bridge tower

The Alte Lahnbrücke on a stamp for the 1100th anniversary of the city (2010)

The Alte Lahnbrücke is a bridge in Limburg an der Lahn that was built in the 14th century .

The Nepomuk statue on the bridge

In the Middle Ages, the Via Publica from Cologne to Frankfurt and later the road from Siegen to Wiesbaden (at that time the B 54 ) crossed the Lahn on it . Since the construction of the new Lahnbrücke in 1968, about 200 meters downstream, the Alte Lahnbrücke has not been used by any trunk road. Together with the Limburg Cathedral , the Alte Lahnbrücke is one of the most popular photo opportunities in Limburg.

Appearance

It is a stone arch bridge with six arches. The total length of the bridge is 106 meters. The arch width is between 12.14 meters and 14.58 meters.

In the middle of the bridge, on the upstream side, there is a stone figure of St. John of Nepomuk , the patron saint of the bridges. On the lower side of the river there is a stone cross opposite the figure of St. Nepomuk, which was donated by the survivors of the plague of 1349.

On the Westerwald side, on the right as seen from Oberstrom, the outer bridge tower still stands on the bridge. It is the only remaining bridge tower in Germany from the 14th century and has a base area of 12 × 12 meters. The height to the eaves cornice is 14 meters. Driving through the bridge tower is only possible on a narrowed lane, so that traffic is guided through a single lane by means of a traffic light control. There is a niche on the north wall of the bridge tower. Inside there is a figure of the Madonna and Child, which comes from the old bridge chapel.

history

Presumably there was a wooden bridge in Limburg as early as 1160. The priest Gottfried von Beselich is handed down as its builder . In 1248 a wooden bridge is mentioned again in Limburg. This was completely destroyed in a flood of the Lahn in 1255. The wooden successor building was destroyed in a flood of the Lahn in 1306. After this flood it was decided to build a stone bridge.

The stone bridge was built between 1315 and 1354. It originally had two bridge towers and a width of around 6 meters. This bridge was also damaged at irregular intervals by the floods of the Lahn, but not destroyed.

Since the city had only limited funds, construction progressed slowly. On September 4, 1344, the Archbishop of Trier, Baldwin of Luxembourg, granted the Limburgers a gate fee from every car that drove through the city. On July 3, 1357 the levy was confirmed by Emperor Charles IV . The fee was intended to maintain the bridge and was levied until 1905.

After a plague epidemic (1490), the chapel of Our Lady was added to the outer bridge tower . According to legend, the epidemic ended with the laying of the foundation stone on August 2, 1490. The residents of Elz , Niederhadamar and Eschhofen helped with the construction. The chapel was approximately 7.3 x 5.3 meters.

During the Thirty Years War , Swedish troops destroyed the customs house on the bridge in 1634. However, it was rebuilt.

The inner bridge tower on the Taunus side was demolished in 1818 because it had become a traffic obstacle. The ducal Nassau government also planned to demolish the outer bridge tower, but failed due to the resistance of the Limburgers. The chapel attached to the outer bridge tower was also demolished around 1827 due to its disrepair. A head of envy in the passage of the outer bridge tower is interpreted in the Limburg folk tale as a customs officer who was cursed by a traveler for illegally levied tariffs and therefore petrified.

The bridge was partially blown up in 1945 during the Second World War . It was then rebuilt as early as 1947/48. Lateral cantilevers were added which widened the bridge by 2.6 meters and were used as a walkway. The statue of Nepomuk on the bridge was erected on April 7, 1966.

With the construction of the New Lahn Bridge in 1968, the Old Lahn Bridge lost its importance for traffic. In 1982/83 the old Lahn bridge was renewed and widened to 8.75 meters. The pillars were also renovated.

After several years of searching for a suitable option for long-term use of the bridge tower, a decision was made at the beginning of 2013 in the Limburg city council. The transfer of the building to the former district administrator of the Limburg-Weilburg district , Manfred Fluck , was decided unanimously . As a long-term interested party and the only one with the intention of private use as a residential building, this prevailed against two other competitors.

Limburg seen from the west ( George Clarkson Stanfield , 1862)
Same view in summer 2010
Old Lahn Bridge east view
Stone cross from 1657
Statue of Saint Nepomuk

literature

Josef Georg Fuchs: The early chapels in the Limburg suburbs , In Nassauische Annalen Volume 188, Verein für Nassauische Altertumskunde, Wiesbaden 2007, ISSN 0077-2887
Franz-Karl Nieder: "Black holes" and the Limburg city regulations from 1583 in the 2004 yearbook of the Limburg-Weilburg district , ISBN 3-927006-38-6 , see also: www.franz-karl-nieder.de