Västerbron

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Västerbron is an approximately 600 m long road bridge in Stockholm . It connects the districts of Södermalm and Kungsholmen across the island of Långholmen and Riddarfjärden .

and display information about the image
Västerbrons both arches over Riddarfjärden, view from Långhomen. In the background center, the tower of the Stockholm City Hall and on the right that of the Stadshuset

Västerbron (the West Bridge) was opened to traffic on November 20, 1935 after four years of planning and construction. At that time it was the second fixed connection in Stockholm's north-south direction after the Slussen traffic junction . The bridge consists of two huge arch structures made of steel, each with a span of a good 200 meters. Overall, Västerbron is a little over 600 meters long. At that time it was the longest arch bridge in Sweden . Its greatest bridge clearance is 26 meters, making it still one of Stockholm's tallest bridges. The structural engineers were Ernst Nilsson and Salmon Kasarnowsky . The architects were Paul Hedqvist and his partner David Dahl . They followed in the main lines the design of the 1st prize from the international competition of 1930, which the architects Otto Rudolf Salvisberg , Wilhelm Büning and the civil engineer Wilhelm Maelzer won. Hedquist and Dahl were also responsible for Tranebergsbron , which had opened a year earlier.

Until September 3, 1967, when Sweden switched to right-hand traffic, trams also ran over the bridge.

The annual Stockholm Marathon is run over the Västerbron , the slope to the top of the bridge being a challenge for the runners, but from there you also have an excellent view of the city.

For a long time, a counterpart to Västerbron in east Stockholm was planned, Österbron (the east bridge). According to a German proposal from 1948, it should span the Djurgårdsbrunnsviken as a huge suspension bridge , like a " Golden Gate Bridge " . However, the ideas never came to fruition.

photos

  • Västerbron under construction in 1933

  • Västerbron inaugurated in 1935

  • Bridge arch on Långholmen

  • Foundation on Långholmen

Literature and Sources

  • Stockholms Byggnader, Bokförlaget Prisma, 1977
  • Stockholm en utopisk historia, Bokförlaget Prisma, 2004

Web links

Commons : Västerbron  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 59 ° 19 ′ 28 ″  N , 18 ° 1 ′ 38 ″  E