Wiecker Bridge
The Wiecker wooden bascule bridge was built in 1887 based on the Dutch model. The bascule bridge leads over the river Ryck , which flows a few hundred meters further east into the Dänische Wiek , the southern part of the Greifswalder Bodden. It connects the two districts of Wieck and Eldena of the university and Hanseatic city of Greifswald .
The Ryck estuary has been populated since the Cistercian monastery Eldena was founded in 1199, but it wasn't until the end of the 19th century that concrete plans for the construction of a bridge were implemented. Until then, for almost seven centuries, it was only possible to translate by boat or ferry. Even today, the next bridge is only at the end of the navigable section of the Ryck at the height of the old town of Greifswald, about five kilometers away.
On December 20, 1886, the Greifswald master timber shipbuilder and shipowner August Spruth received the order to build a bascule bridge designed by him . In February 1887, the carpenters in his shipyard began construction and the Wiecker Bridge was inaugurated on July 25, 1887. The bridge is 55.1 m long, 7.5 m wide and has a ship passage width of 10.7 m. Its construction costs amounted to 33,850 RM . The bridge was last refurbished in 1993 and 1994 in an 8-month construction period for 1.6 million DM . However, it still requires constant extensive maintenance in order to avoid incidents like the one on August 9, 2004. That day a bolt broke and one of the heavy pull chains fell down.
As one of the oldest and still functional wooden bascule bridges, the Wiecker Bridge is today an impressive technical monument and is a landmark of Greifswald-Wieck. It repeatedly serves as a motif for photographers and painters.
Bridge toll
Bridge tolls were levied until the municipalities of Eldena and Wieck were incorporated in 1939 and then again from 1990 to 2000 (most recently DM 5 per vehicle up to 3 tons). The ship passage was always free of charge. The bridge has been closed to general motor vehicle traffic since 2001 and has served mainly as a pedestrian bridge since then; only the vehicles of the residents are allowed to pass with a special permit. The residents pay 80 euros per year into the city treasury to maintain the building.
In 2006 the citizens of the Hanseatic City of Greifswald decided to repeal this regulation and instead to levy a special usage fee of 50 cents per crossing, which led to considerable public protests. For some time now, the Wieck-Ladebow parents' initiative has been fighting for a discount for families who have to take their children to schools, daycare centers, sports and clubs across the bridge. In 2010 she achieved her goal.
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 54 ° 5 ′ 36 ″ N , 13 ° 26 ′ 55 ″ E