Weser Bridge (Hameln)
The Weser Bridge Hameln is a former railway bridge in Hameln that crosses the Weser . The bridge, which was completed in 1897, was built as part of the Begatalbahn , a single-track branch line between Lage and Hameln. At the end of the Second World War , the bridge was blown up and rebuilt in 1949. After the route was closed in 1980, the building , which has been a listed building since 1989, was closed and partially dismantled.
description
When it was completed in 1897, the railway bridge was around 370 meters long, 4.7 meters wide and 6 meters high. The steel structure superstructure rested on pillars made of sandstone blocks . In terms of construction, the building originally consisted of three semi-parabolic girders , two parallel - chorded truss girders and eight solid wall girders . The single-track bridge had 10 penetrations.
history
The Weser Bridge was built by the Prussian State Railways . In addition to the Klüttunnel directly adjacent to the bridge, it was one of the most difficult structures on the Lage – Hameln railway line.
On April 5, 1945, German pioneers blew up the bridge due to the approach of US troops, who at that time had reached Groß Berkel , about five kilometers to the west . In October 1945, clean-up work began on the bridge, which was badly damaged by the blast, which was carried out with the consent of the British occupying forces . Reconstruction was slow because building materials and labor were scarce. Since the diversion of freight traffic caused enormous costs, the reconstruction was pushed ahead from 1948. The bridge was opened to traffic on December 19, 1949. Until then, the trains from location ended nearly two kilometers from the train station Hamelin at breakpoint Hameln- Klüt .
On the west side of the Weser, the railway bridge crossed the federal highways B 1 and B 83, which run together here . After the line was closed in 1980, the bridge structure was placed under protection as a monument in 1989 . The special monument value is based on the fact that the Weser Bridge Hameln is the only surviving example of a railway bridge over the Weser with a semi-parabolic beam. The last time such bridge constructions were carried out in the Weser area were in 1900 and 1910.
The narrow footpath running along the bridge parallel to the track, initially covered with wooden planks, was closed in 1996 and dismantled in 2009. In 2003 and 2008, parts of the bridge on the western and eastern sides of the Weser, such as the stone abutments and overland structures, were demolished.
For a long time there have been a number of usage or demolition plans. The Deutsche Bahn , as the owner of the bridge structure, planned the demolition from 2005, which should take place by 2007 at the latest. There are considerations to re-use the bridge for leisure purposes, for example to make greater use of the banks of the Weser. It is also being considered to use the bridge as a river crossing for pedestrians and cyclists or to set up a restaurant. Because of the high costs, the city of Hameln does not plan to purchase, renovate or convert the bridge.
literature
- Burkhard Wollenweber: Historical bridge constructions. Technical structures of the railway in Lower Saxony. A contribution to the history of bridge building in the 19th century. (= Workbooks on the preservation of monuments in Lower Saxony , issue 33.) Hameln 2006, p. 196.
Web links
- The railway bridge and the Klüttunnel at hamelner-geschichte.de
- Construction drawing of the Weser Bridge
- Photos of the bridge from 1978 and 2003
- The Railway Bridge - A Chronology in Dewezet from May 18, 2017
Individual evidence
- ↑ The footpath over the railway bridge is the definitive story of Hamelin in Dewezet from March 22, 2009
- ↑ a b c The cutting torch - or a second life? in Dewezet on May 9, 2008
- ↑ There is no new route across the Weser in Dewezet on May 9, 2012
- ↑ Vision: Dinner on the railway bridge in Dewezet on August 19, 2014
Coordinates: 52 ° 5 '48.1 " N , 9 ° 21' 14.8" E