Wattenheimer Bridge

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The Wattenheimer Bridge (looking down the river)
The Wattenheimer Bridge (looking upstream)
View of the renatured area of ​​the Weschnitz below the Wattenheim bridge

The Wattenheimer Brücke is a historic building from the late 18th century in the south of the Hessian Ried , which crosses the Weschnitz River near the town of Lorsch .

location

The Wattenheimer Brücke lies in the triangle of the municipalities of Lorsch , Bensheim and Bensheim-Schwanheim . A few meters from the bridge, the Neue Graben - a branch of the Lauter coming from the Odenwald (Lautertal) - flows into the Weschnitz. The surrounding area is characterized by the drifting sand dunes Kannengießer and Feuerstein Berg , which are a remnant of the Ur- Neckar , which flowed here until around 10,000 years ago. The Weschnitz later broke through - possibly with the help of humans - the chain of dunes in the north-south direction in the area of ​​the current Wattenheimer Bridge.

history

The Wattenheimer Brücke lies at the intersection of two important old streets . This and the living space around the bridge, with sufficient arable farming and the best opportunities for collecting, hunting and fishing, ensured that people settled here in prehistoric times. The archaeological finds on the bridge range from the Neolithic to Roman times . An ax, an arrowhead, a hoe and a storage vessel were found from the Neolithic Age (3000–1800 BC). Among other things, a coin was found from Roman times with the image of Emperor Nerva , dated to 96–98 AD. Remains of a Roman swamp bridge were discovered at the Wattenheim Bridge.

Originally the bridge was called Watterbrücke , as it led into the Wattenrodt - a clearing of the swamp of today's Großenackers. The original wooden bridge was replaced by the current stone structure in 1774. Until 1802 there was a customs post at the bridge between the Hessian and Kurmainzer areas.

In March 2007, measures to renaturate the Weschnitz, which had previously been regulated in this section , began from the Wattenheimer Brücke downstream . The renaturation of the 300 meter long section of the Weschnitz was a compensatory measure for the newly created Daubhart industrial area of ​​the city of Lorsch.

Individual evidence

  1. BUND Hessen, PDF file on June 23, 2007, Chapter 10
  2. “A lot will happen this year” (PDF file; 212 kB) Press release from the Lorsch SPD on May 2, 2007
Panoramic view from the Wattenheim bridge

Coordinates: 49 ° 40 ′ 21 ″  N , 8 ° 34 ′ 8 ″  E