Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge (Wilhelmshaven)

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Coordinates: 53 ° 30 ′ 49 ″  N , 8 ° 8 ′ 7 ″  E

Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge
Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge
use bridge
place Wilhelmshaven
construction Rotatable steel bridge
overall length 159 m
width 8 m
Pillar spacing 80 m
height 9 m
start of building 1905
completion 1907
opening August 29, 1907
location
Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge (Wilhelmshaven) (Lower Saxony)
Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge (Wilhelmshaven)

The Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge in Wilhelmshaven is an axially symmetrical, two- wing road swing bridge made of riveted steel truss . It is the landmark of the city of Wilhelmshaven.

Technical specifications

The Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge is 159 m long and 8 m wide. It weighs 440 tons. The two supports are about 20.4 m high. It crosses the connecting port and serves as a link between the southern city and the southern beach as well as the southern port facilities. The passage height is 9.00 m + 1.10 m at medium port water level, the passage width is 58.60 m. The northern and southern halves of the bridge can be opened independently of each other; they are rotated clockwise by up to 90 °. Road traffic on the bridge is only possible in one direction. The regulation is carried out by traffic lights . Pedestrians and cyclists are exempt from this traffic regulation. When the bridge is closed, you always have a possibility to cross. Before the bridge swings out, light signals and barriers block all traffic.

history

The Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge in Wilhelmshaven was built between 1905 (start of construction) and 1907 (completion and commissioning) as the largest swing bridge in Germany. The inauguration took place on August 29, 1907. The bridge was designed by senior building officer Ernst Troschel. It was built by the MAN plant in Gustavsburg . The construction costs amounted to 1.625 million marks. In 1975 the bridge was placed under monument protection.

In 1998 the turning mechanism of the northern part of the bridge was damaged by a tug accident (collision with a frigate ) and had to be partially overhauled. In 2003 there was another accident. A freighter rammed the bridge and damaged it slightly.

In 2007 the 100th anniversary of the bridge was celebrated. On this occasion, the city of Wilhelmshaven made the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge the motto of its largest harbor festival, the weekend at the Jade , and organized a historic bridge festival on the first weekend in September. For the bridge festival, the lighting was restored according to the historical model. In addition, a 1.45 euro special stamp with a picture of the bridge was issued on August 9, 2007 .

The long-planned renovation of the bridge began on September 23, 2010. The city council made 7.3 million euros available for the renovation. In time for the JadeWeserPort Cup regatta weekend, the bridge was reopened for pedestrians and cyclists on September 28, 2012. On September 17, 2013, the renovation of the bridge was officially completed after three years and the bridge was again opened to motor vehicle traffic. In the course of the renovation, the steel structure of the bridge was repaired and received, among other things, a completely new coating as well as new surfaces for the roadways and sidewalks. The railing of the bridge was restored according to the historical model. In addition, it was equipped with a new lighting concept that is intended to highlight it as a symbol of the city. Investments were also made in the environment. The bridge houses were completely renovated and a new staircase was built to access the north wing.

gallery

  • General view around 1910

  • Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge, 1914

  • Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge, 2020

  • The north wing is opened

  • Open north wing

  • Open south wing

  • overall view

literature

  • Adrian Freuke: The Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge in Wilhelmshaven - a construction of the century . Brune-Mettcker, Wilhelmshaven 2007, ISBN 978-3-930510-33-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ A modern, moving giant bridge. In: The construction technician. Central body for the Austrian construction industry. Vol. 32, No. 49, December 6, 1912, pp. 1219-1221.
  2. ↑ a b KW bridge makes new attempt . In: Wilhelmshavener Zeitung, December 31, 2012, p. 34.
  3. ↑ Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge on Wilhelmshaven Tourism, accessed on February 8, 2015
  4. ↑ Wilhelmshavener Heimatlexikon, ed. by Werner Brune, Wilhelmshaven 1987, Volume 2 (KR), p. 8 f.
  5. ↑ Speech on the occasion of the publication of the special stamp for the 100th birthday of the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge (PDF file; 33 kB), accessed on October 2, 2010.
  6. ↑ wzonline.de - KW bridge: Approval on September 28th , accessed on September 30th, 2012.
  7. ↑ wzonline.de - Pedestrians walk across the newly renovated Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed September 29, 2012.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.wzonline.de  
  8. ↑ KW bridge free for cars again - renovation completed after 3 years . In: Wilhelmshavener Zeitung, September 13, 2013, page 1

Web links

Commons : Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke (Wilhelmshaven)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files