Bridge disaster in Koblenz

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Rescue work at the accident site in Koblenz-Lützel
The fire brigade searches the harbor basin for dead people with poles, remnants of the bridge are visible in the background
The scene of the accident during the first rescue measures

The bridge disaster in Koblenz was the largest civil catastrophe in the history of the city of Koblenz . When a temporary bridge over the security harbor in Koblenz-Lützel collapsed on July 22, 1930, 38 people died.

history

On the day of the accident, the national celebrations to mark the end of the Allied occupation of the Rhineland took place in Koblenz and at the Deutsches Eck . Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann had cleared the Rhineland at the Hague Peace Conference in August 1929. The last French troops then left Koblenz on November 30, 1929.

Reich President Paul von Hindenburg , who had previously attended many liberation celebrations along the Rhine , also took part in the “main liberation celebration” . The city enthusiastically prepared for the liberation ceremony, the houses were decorated with garlands and flags. Reich President Hindenburg's ship docked with the Prussian Prime Minister Otto Braun at around 11:30 a.m. at the Deutsches Eck, where he was greeted by Mayor Karl Russell . The official welcome was followed by a ceremony by the Prussian state government in the municipal festival hall with receptions and banquets as well as a tour of the city.

The highlight of the day was the fireworks from Ehrenbreitstein Fortress at around 10:30 p.m. The Rhine and Moselle facilities were lined with hundreds of thousands of people, some of whom had traveled with special trains. After the fireworks display around 11 p.m., many people who had been at the Neuendorfer Eck in Lützel directly across from the Deutsches Eck pushed over a narrow pontoon bridge at the entrance to the security port to take a shortcut. In the dark night they did not see what was happening in front of them when the makeshift bridge collapsed under the load at around 11:15 p.m.

The pontoon bridge was supported on the sides on a three meter high wall. Due to the weight of around 200 people who were on the bridge at the time of the accident, the floats were pushed under water, and the ends of the bridge were torn from their anchoring. The construction, which is unusually high for a pontoon bridge because of its location in a harbor entrance, tilted to the side and everyone on it fell into the water.

It took a long time before the first rescue workers were on site. In this unlit spot it was difficult for them to rescue the people floating in the water with boats, poles and sticks. 34 people were recovered dead in the first three hours; later another four.

The next morning, President Hindenburg found out about the disaster and immediately broke off his further trip through the Rhineland. Visits to Trier and Aachen were also planned . The event sparked compassion and sadness across Germany. The front pages of the major newspapers in Germany were marked for days by the events in Koblenz. Many people donated money for the victims of the disaster; three weeks later, 79,794.25 Reichsmarks had been received. The grief for the victims was also shared abroad. The Reich Ministry of Transport initiated an investigation into the accident. It was possible to rule out third-party debt. The reason for the misfortune lay in the overload of so many people.

The funeral ceremonies took place on July 26, 1930 with great sympathy from the Koblenz population. The funeral procession with 38 coffins led through the streets of the city to the Koblenz cemetery of honor ; Schoolchildren and clubs stood guard of honor . Reich Transport Minister Theodor von Guérard laid wreaths on behalf of the Reich President and the Reich Government . 14 of the people involved in the accident were buried in grave field 20 opposite the Ehrenfriedhof in 1914/18, the rest were transferred to their hometowns . The grave complex consists of a narrow path with seven tombs marked with cushion stones on the right and left. At the end of the path there is a simple memorial stone.

literature

  • Energieversorgung Mittelrhein GmbH (ed.): History of the city of Koblenz . Overall editing: Ingrid Bátori in conjunction with Dieter Kerber and Hans Josef Schmidt.
    • Vol. 2: From the French city to the present . Theiss, Stuttgart 1993, pp. 161ff., ISBN 3-8062-1036-5 .
  • H. Kampmann: Koblenz Press Chronicle. 80 newspapers from three centuries, Koblenz 1988
  • HJ Schmidt: After the jubilation came the sadness. The Koblenz liberation celebration on July 22, 1930 and its tragic outcome in: Ein Stück Koblenz, ed. von der Pfarrei Liebfrauen, Vol. 3, Koblenz 1987, pp. 27-33.
  • Albert Herrmann: Disasters forces of nature and human fates . G. Schönfeld's Verlagbuchhandlung, Berlin 1936, p. 319

Web links

Commons : Bridge disaster in Koblenz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Koblenz main cemetery. Documentation on the 160th anniversary of the main cemetery. Koblenz: City of Koblenz 1981, p. 54. (Documentations of the City of Koblenz, 9).
  2. ↑ Koblenz main cemetery. , P. 54.

Coordinates: 50 ° 21 '53.5 "  N , 7 ° 35' 59"  E