Magdeburg lift bridge

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Coordinates: 52 ° 7 ′ 13 ″  N , 11 ° 38 ′ 11 ″  E

Magdeburg lift bridge
Magdeburg lift bridge
Elf view of the lift bridge of the star bridge
Convicted Biederitz – Magdeburg-Buckau railway line
Subjugated Elbe , km 325.47
place Magdeburg
construction Lift bridge
overall length 220 m
Longest span 90 m
Clear height 5.05 m above HSW
opening August 19, 1848
closure February 28, 1998
location
Lift bridge Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt)
Magdeburg lift bridge

The Magdeburg lift bridge is a single-track railway bridge that spans the Elbe in Magdeburg at river kilometer 325.47 . It is one of the oldest and largest lift bridges in Germany and is a listed building.

history

The Berlin-Potsdam-Magdeburg railway company built in the years 1846-47, the railway Potsdam-Magdeburg . However, the lift bridge over the Elbe was not completed, so that the trains ended up in Magdeburg-Friedrichstadt station (later Brückfeld ) for the first few years . There was continuous train traffic on the bridge only from August 19, 1848. The 220 m long bridge, also known as the Buckau railway bridge, spans the Stromelbe 200 m south of the cathedral rock at an angle of 62 °.

Ascent to the higher main part with engraved wooden planks as the floor

Initially, the structure had nine openings, each around 25 m long, which were spanned by iron half-timbered superstructures with an underlying carriageway. A swing bridge for shipping was installed on the third pillar . As the bridge became more and more of an obstacle to the growing Elbe shipping, the construction underwent major changes in the following decades.

After the Magdeburg main station went into operation in 1873, traffic to Berlin was moved four kilometers downstream via the Herrenkrug railway bridge, which opened in 1875 . The old railway line over the lift bridge served as part of the Biederitz – Magdeburg-Buckau railway line only as a freight connecting line and bypassing the Magdeburg main station .

Modifications from 1876

The first bridge reconstruction took place in 1876. The first western pillar was removed and a new superstructure with double the span was installed to the left of the swing bridge. In 1884, to the right of the swing bridge, a superstructure twice as long was installed and another pillar was demolished. In 1895 the swing bridge was replaced by a lift bridge that could be lifted 1.7 m. The water tower of the Magdeburg lift bridge to the west of the bridge served as part of the hydraulic system . In 1912, the three eastern superstructures from 1847 were replaced, followed by the western superstructure from 1876 in 1914. Thus, before the last major renovation, the structure still had five pillars and, starting on the western side, consisted of a superstructure 49 m wide exciting, a lift bridge with a span of 33 m, another superstructure with a span of 49 m and three superstructures to the east, each spanning 23 m.

Last renovation 1933/34

Since the opening for shipping under the old lift bridge proved to be insufficient, the conversion to the current form followed on July 1, 1933 and was completed on May 1, 1934. The construction costs were 450,000 Reichsmarks. The old lift bridge and the neighboring eastern superstructure were dismantled and the common river pillar demolished. For this purpose, a new 90 m wide superstructure that could be lifted 2.87 m was installed. This enabled a shipping opening of 86 m wide. The bridge was only to be raised and lowered four times a day during high tide, with shipping having the right of way.

On April 16, 1945, the structure was blown up by German troops, and in 1946 it was restored. After the Sternbrücke was not restored after it was blown up in 1945, the lift bridge, as the southernmost Magdeburg Elbe bridge, was of great importance as pedestrian access to the Rotehornpark and is one of the defining structures in Magdeburg.

Line closure in 1998

Due to the defective lifting device, the structure was locked in a raised position in June 2001. The line was closed on February 28, 1998. In 2002, temporary stairs were installed to enable pedestrians to use the bridge. After the reconstruction and inauguration of the neighboring Sternbrücke in May 2005, the stairs were removed and the structure closed. In 2009, an investor acquired the technical monument together with a 45,000 m² property.

In 2008 the Italian light artist Maurizio Nannucci applied the shining red and blue lettering “From so far to here” and “From here to much further”, which became victims of vandalism in 2012. Through the gathering of various associations and artist groups, donations of around 10,000 euros could be collected, which allowed the work of art to shine again in full just under a year later.

Also with the support of the population who u. a. Donated money for wooden planks with individual engraving, renovations were carried out. On August 31, 2013, the bridge was reopened for pedestrians. During the floods in Central Europe in June 2013 , the tracks and floor paneling of the immovable sections were flooded.


Construction of the lift bridge

The steel truss superstructure of the lift bridge has main girders at a distance of 5.2 m on both sides, which are designed as semi-parabolic girders with a curved upper flange. In the middle of the bridge, the construction height is around 12.0 m with a span of 90 m. The lifting portals are built on the river pillars, they are at an angle of 62 ° to the superstructure. The lifting portals are 14.3 m high and 2.1 m wide. The bridge superstructure, including the superstructure and cover, has a total mass of 450 t, which is only half balanced by counterweights in order to reduce the pillar loads. The four concrete counterweights are each suspended from two articulated racks. Spindles raise and lower the bridge superstructure with an electric drive within five minutes; manual drive is also possible in an emergency.

With a clearance height of 2.26 m when lowered and 5.05 m when raised at the highest navigable water level, the bridge has too low a clearance height by today's requirements.

literature

Web links

Commons : Hubbrücke Magdeburg  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c data tables - Electronic Waterways Information Service (ELWIS): Inland waterways of the Federal Republic of Germany. ( Memento from February 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive ). In: General Directorate Waterways and Shipping ( GWDS ), East Branch ( Ast. OST ), 2014, (PDF file; 183 kB).
  2. ↑ Excel table: List of the disused routes in Saxony-Anhalt (since 01.01.1994). ( Memento from January 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive ). In: Federal Railway Authority ( EBA ), February 2013.
  3. ↑ Building a bridge over the Elbe - The ailing lift bridge has become private property . ( Memento from February 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive ). In: elbe courier , March 7, 2009, (PDF file; 3.7 MB).
  4. ↑ Vandalism attack on the light lettering on the lift bridge in 2012. Association collects for illuminated lettering on the lift bridge Magdeburg. In: Volksstimme , July 18, 2012.
  5. ↑ Renewed light installation. Lift bridge should light up again from July 12th. In: Volksstimme , July 4, 2013.
  6. ↑ Rainer Schweingel: Donation campaign leads to success: Magdeburg residents will get their lift bridge back on August 31st. In: Volksstimme , April 20, 2013.
  7. ↑ Printed matter 16/6897: Answer of the federal government to the minor question from the MPs ... → Annex 2. In: German Bundestag , October 31, 2007, (PDF file; 207 kB).