High Bridge (Obwalden)

The old Hohe Brücke (1893–1943), built by Josef Windlin-Durrer

The High Bridge is the highest covered and from wood -built bridge in Europe. It is located between the places Flüeli-Ranft and Kerns in the Swiss canton of Obwalden and crosses the gorge of the Great Melchaa at a height of around 100 meters.

construction

The 30 meter long bridge was built by engineering troops of the Swiss Army in 1943 and inaugurated on July 30, 1943. The building material cost 30,000 francs; the troops worked a total of 8784 hours. The total costs amounted to 56,350 francs.

Previously, the first bridge, built in 1893, stood 20 meters up the valley. This was created by the carpenter Josef Windlin-Durrer - alias Dr Gisiger - (1851-1942) from Kerns as a pioneering achievement according to his own plans. The load-bearing capacity of this bridge was limited to five tons.

construction

The bridge is constructed as a truss bridge with parallel girders and covered with a shingle roof. On both sides of the single-lane, tar-covered carriageway there is a separate footpath with arched entrances on both sides. The bridge is approved for vehicles up to 12 tons total weight. At night only the two bridge entrances are illuminated with a simple lamp each.

Trivia

In 2003 a mother threw her three or four year old children from the Hohe Brücke into the Bachtobel in the Melchaa. Then she wanted to throw herself down, but according to her own account she lost her courage. In September 2005, she was eight years prison sentenced and committed the same day suicide by relying on the Lorzentobelbrücke in Canton train crashed.

After this incident, safety nets were installed on both sides of the Hohe Brücke as well as information boards from the Dargebotene Hand .

Bridge portal on the Kernser side
Truss construction
Information board on the bridge

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Historic traffic routes in the canton of Obwalden ( Memento of the original from June 12, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 4.1 MB), Chapter A spectacular wooden path in the valley of the Little Melchaa - The "Viamala" of Obwalden , Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), 2nd, revised edition 2007, p. 24 f. @1@ 2

^ Photo Before the inauguration of the Hohe Brücke on July 30, 1943: The two bridges from 1893 and 1943 , in: Katastrophen-Sepp. The Obwalden photographer dynasty Reinhard . Verlag Brunner, Kriens 2001, p. 315.

↑ About us on the website of the carpentry K. Windlin in Kerns, accessed on April 27, 2018

↑ Criminal judgment of the Obwalden Cantonal Court of September 8, 2005 ( Memento of September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive )