Stone Bridge (Hadamar)
| Elbbach Bridge | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Technical specifications | |
| length | approx. 48 m |
| Max. Span | 9.42 m |
| Superstructure width | approx. 4.60 m |
| height | |
| system | Arch bridge |
The Stone Bridge is a bridge built in 1571 over the Elbbach in the former Nassau residence town of Hadamar in the Hessian district of Limburg-Weilburg . It is also known as the Elbbach Bridge , City Bridge or Nepomuk Bridge . The stone bridge is in close proximity to the castle . Today it only has local traffic significance. It is dedicated to St. John Nepomuk , who is considered the patron saint of bridges in Catholic areas.
description
The bridge has five irregular arches with the widths seen from upstream - from right to left - 5.00 meters, 6.50 meters, 7.65 meters, 9.25 meters and 5.15 meters. The pillar width varies between 2.10 meters and 3.65 meters. On the upstream side, the pillars have semicircular foreheads with a pulpit at the height of the parapet. On the downstream side there are semicircular foreheads that extend to the top of the parapet. The cheeks are covered with slabs of Schupbach marble. The width of the lane varies between 2.93 and 3.95 meters. The road is paved with natural stone. The highest point is above the second arch on the right when viewed from upstream.
On the upstream pulpit of the second pillar is a statue of St. Nepomuk made of red sandstone behind a wrought iron grating. The figure's head is surrounded by a wreath of five stars and has been illuminated since 1924. The statue was created by Martin Volk around 1740, one of the main exponents of the Hadamar baroque .
history
The stone bridge goes back to an older ford at this point. It is possible that the ford gave the city its name. The name of the city was first mentioned in a Carolingian barter in 832 AD . It is said to be derived from Germanic, the words "hadu" and "mar", which means something like "contested waterhole". The stream crossing was part of a trade route in an east-west direction
The construction date of the first bridge at this point is unknown. The oldest component, the second pillar seen from the city center with a Romanesque arched frieze on the lower side of the river, was probably built in the 12th century. This is indicated by the remains of a round arch frieze. The bank sections around the bridge originally sank with a slight incline towards the stream and the ford. Only after the bridge was built was the site filled in and fortified with retaining walls.
In 1552 the bridge was destroyed by floods. Then a makeshift wooden bridge was built. It was not until 1571 that a stone bridge could be built again after financing by Hofrat Georg Lorich . A stone plaque on the western bridgehead shows him today as the founder, although the sponsorship of another member of the family with the same name cannot be ruled out.
- Nepomuk statue before (left) and after the restoration in 2015
Jesuits probably donated the statue of Nepomuk around 1760 . On January 2, 1764, the bridge was badly damaged by another flood and renewed in the summer of the same year, with almost the entire structure being replaced. The sentry box on one of the two pulpits in the middle of the bridge also disappeared. In 1775 a parapet wall was built on the bank facing away from the city to prevent falls from the road into the stream. Extensive repairs were carried out in 1984/85. In 2006 renovation work was carried out on the bridge parapet.
The Nepomuk statue was partially destroyed in 1941 and restored in 1945. At the end of July 2015, it was put back on the bridge after several months of extensive restoration.
Web links
- State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen (Ed.): Steinerne Brücke (Hadamar) In: DenkXweb, online edition of cultural monuments in Hessen
- Elbbachbrücke on www.baufachinformation.de [1] , [2]
Coordinates: 50 ° 26 ′ 55 ″ N , 8 ° 2 ′ 41 ″ E