Old Thur Bridge Bischofszell
| Old Thur Bridge | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Convicted | Pedestrians, cyclists | |
| Subjugated | Thur | |
| place | Bischofszell | |
| construction | Stone arch bridge | |
| overall length | 116 m | |
| width | 3 m | |
| Number of openings | 8th | |
| start of building | 1479 | |
| completion | 1487 | |
| construction time | 8 years | |
| closure | 1969 (motorized traffic) | |
| location | ||
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| Layout | ||
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The eight-bay old Thur bridge leads southwest of the city center of Bischofszell over the Thur . It is also called the Krumme Brücke because its ground plan has some kinks so that the pillars could be founded on the Nagelfluhfelsen in the river bed. The 116 meter long bridge made of tuff and sandstone is the longest natural stone bridge in Switzerland from the Middle Ages .
history
As early as the High Middle Ages, a wooden bridge stood further upstream at the Stegwiese . The first written evidence for this bridge dates back to 1325.
In 1479, Bischofszell and Bishop Otto IV of Constance reached an agreement to build a stone bridge . According to a legend, the reason for the construction of the bridge is said to have been that two noble youths drowned in the rising river. The bishop was obliged to build bridges over the Thur and the Sitter. However, the construction was not carried out due to the bishop's lack of funds and the bishop gave this obligation for 300 gold guilders and further income to the community of Bischofszell and the bridge was completed in 1487.
The bridge has a curved course, which is due to the fact that existing rocks in the river were used as a foundation, which are not in a straight line in the river bed.
Use remained duty-free until 1796 (according to other sources until 1781), making Bischofszell a transshipment point for canvas and long-distance trade. In order to protect the bridge piers from the Thur, which often rises up, flow dividers were built on both sides in the 16th or 17th century.
From the middle of the 19th century on, the only 3 meter wide carriageway was no longer sufficient for the steadily increasing traffic. From 1860 to 1862, the bridge was widened a little to make it more vehicle-friendly, with the top of the bridge being removed and the driveways increased. This work was carried out by the Locher company from Zurich. The Thurbad at the north end of the bridge was demolished to create more space.
In 1969 the crooked bridge was closed to motorized traffic. In connection with the construction of the new bridge somewhat upstream in 1972/73, the original condition of the old bridge was restored from 1971 to 1975; in particular, the balcony-like islands for pedestrians were removed. In 1974 the remains of the bathhouse, which was mentioned in the 17th century, were archaeologically examined. A large oak tub, water pipes and bath stoves were discovered.
From 1999 to 2006 the old Thurbrücke was extensively renovated. Among other things, parts of the sandstone and tuff stone blocks were replaced and the roadway was sealed against moisture. The construction costs were just under a million francs.
See also
literature
- Beatrice Sendner, Peter Erni (Preservation of Monuments in Thurgau 9): The old Thur Bridge in Bischofszell and its repair 1999-2006 . ISBN 978-3-7193-1464-4 .
Web links
- Alte Thurbrücke Bischofszell on the ETHorama platform
- Krumme Thurbrücke late medieval river crossing ( Memento from December 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 411 kB), publisher: Archeology Thurgau
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Thurbrücke Bischofszell ( Memento from April 11, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
- ↑ The legend of the old Thur Bridge. (PDF; 1.1 MB) Retrieved February 25, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c d e TG 200.1.1 route, Bischofzeller Thurbrücke. (PDF) Federal Inventory of Historic Transport Routes in Switzerland (IVS), accessed on April 7, 2020 .
- ↑ The Old Thur Bridge in Bischofszell. (PDF; 676 kB) Materialtechnik am Bau AG, accessed on February 25, 2013 .