Covered Brüggli
The Gedeckte Brüggli (actually "s'teckte Brüggli" = Zurich German for "Gedecktes Brücklein") connected the lower Mühlesteg and the Papierwerd with the Bahnhofquai on the left bank of the Limmat in Zurich between 1689 and 1950 . The bridge provided a welcome relief for the busy station bridge and was used by many pedestrians as a safe crossing.
history
The bridge was first mentioned on May 15, 1329 as Werdsteg , and in 1379 as Niederer Steg . According to Salomon Vögelin, the actual wooden bridge, later called “Covered Brüggli”, was built by master builder Vögtlin in 1689, when the neighboring rifle house (demolished in 1899) was included in the third city fortification . In 1950 the bridge was demolished in the course of widening the station quay.
description
The bridge was designed as a combined truss and hanging structure and had a span of 17.5 meters. The carriageway consisted of five beams, which rested on the banks, were underpinned three times by the hanging truss and were covered with planks laid across . Three cross-shaped windows were left open on both sides. The simple hipped roof , with rafters , without ridge and foot purlins, was covered with tiles. The roof structure was stiffened by horizontal struts and cross- braced by St. Andrew's crosses.
cancellation
The news that the “Gedeckte Brüggli”, the unofficial landmark of Zurich, was to be canceled, triggered a storm of indignation among the population. On March 1, 1950, the Zurich city council submitted a proposal to the municipal council that demanded that the bridge be rebuilt at another location; between Nüschelerstrasse and Gessnerallee, it should cross the Schanzengraben . A loan of CHF 80,000 should be granted for this.
After heated and emotional discussions in which the parties accused each other of cultural vandalism or sentimentality, the municipal council decided with a large majority to reject the city council's motion; this not least because of the poor structural condition of the bridge, which in fact would have required a new building. Another application to rebuild the bridge at Bauschänzli did not find a majority. The city council gave the assurance that the beams would be stored.
From the minutes of the City Council of the City of Zurich of June 27, 2001, the city council's opinion on the storage of the beams can be seen in extracts: The old wooden bridge was demolished in 1950 and disposed of because its condition was very poor ... Because the bridge was not stored , no costs have been accrued ... The bridge cannot be rebuilt because it no longer exists ... The subject was discussed in two articles in the Tages-Anzeiger from 23 May 2001 "Where is the covered Brüggli" and from 5 June 2001 «The mystery of the covered Brüggli is solved» thoroughly researched and dealt with. The research by the civil engineering office came to the same conclusion: the wooden bridge at that time no longer exists .
gallery
The Brüggli 1898
Brüggli 1908
1909, on the right the orphanage bulwark
View from the south
aftermath
The «Gedeckte Brüggli» was immortalized in numerous poems and songs. The most famous song comes from Ernst Brupbacher and was recorded by the famous yodel duo Martheli Mumenthaler-Vreneli Pfyl .
literature
- Thomas Germann: Zurich in Time Lapse , Volume II. Werd Verlag, Zurich 2002, ISBN 3-85932-227-3
- Konrad Escher: Art Monuments of the Canton of Zurich , Volume IV. Bern 1939
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Zurich calendar 1950
- ^ Thomas Germann: Zurich in Time Lapse, Volume II, Werd Verlag, Zurich 2002
- ^ Konrad Escher: Kunstdenkmäler des Kantons Zürich, Volume IV, Bern 1949
- ^ Council minutes in the NZZ of March 3, 1950
- ↑ Zurich City Council: Written request GRZH 2001/274 of May 16, 2001 by Doris Fiala
- ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung (February 24/25, 2001): A Zurich temporary solution that lasts: The wrong path of the "Free Limmat" project by Alfred Cattani