Ziemestal Bridge

Ziemestal Bridge
use	closed, under monument protection
Convicted	Triptis – Marxgrün railway line
Crossing of	Ziemesgrund
place	Remptendorf
construction	Steel viaduct
overall length	115 m
height	32 m
start of building	1893
completion	1894
	location

50.575833333333 11.613055555556Coordinates: 50 ° 34 ′ 33 ″ N , 11 ° 36 ′ 47 ″ E

Panoramic view to the north

The Ziemestalbrücke is a 115 meter long and 32 meter high viaduct on the Triptis – Marxgrün railway line in Thuringia , which was built between 1893 and 1895. It leads on five trestles in a gentle curve over the Ziemesgrund between Ziegenrück , Altenbeuthen and Remptendorf . Officially, the viaduct belongs to the municipality of Remptendorf. It is single-track and is made entirely of steel . The bridge runs in a curve with a radius of 193 m and a gradient of 2%. The bridgehead is inclined in order to achieve higher speeds.

geography

The Ziemestal bridge is located in a wooded area in the Saale-Orla district . It is located in an area that is surrounded by numerous Saale dams in the north and east . There are hardly any settlements in the immediate vicinity of the Ziemestal Bridge; the closest are Ziegenrück, Altenbeuten and Remptendorf.

The ruins of the Wysburg are about one kilometer to the southwest .

history

The inclined bridgehead allows a higher speed.

When the important railway line for the Reussische Oberland was to be built, the planners encountered the usual political difficulties. Resistance came mainly from the population, as they were supposed to cede parcels . After decades of delays, a route was finally chosen that meant little political resistance, but a high technical effort. Due to the numerous valley slopes in the region, many tunnels, bridges and viaducts were necessary. The greatest technical challenge was the Ziemestal bridge. Due to the high transport costs into the Ziemestal, stone was out of the question as a building material. So the decision was made in favor of steel, which was the most modern building material at the time.

In the fall of 1893, construction of the foundations and abutments began. The viaduct was finally completed a year later. The Ziegenrücker Kreisanzeiger reported in 1894:

“ A difficult piece of work, the iron viaduct [...] has been completed in the past six months. This bridge, made entirely of iron, was manufactured in Eschweiler near Aachen and has a total weight of 5,600 cents. It rests on 5 iron pillars, each of which consists of 4 slightly sloping columns that are anchored horizontally and crossed several times. […] When building this viaduct, the fact that it runs in a moderate curve was a problem. [...] The bridge, on which the track already lies, makes a really great impression and is a worth seeing masterpiece of the iron industry and at the same time of architecture. "

In June 1895, the viaduct was tested in accordance with regulations when three locomotives were coupled to one another. Then it could finally be initiated. In the more than a hundred years since its inauguration, the building has been reinforced and renovated several times.

Even if the line in this section has now been closed, the Ziemestal Bridge is still preserved in its original form. It stands for the closure of the route under monument protection .

landscape

The landscape around the viaduct is very attractive. You also have a very good view from there. The nature in Ziemesgrund is almost untouched. Therefore, the viaduct is difficult to reach. You can only get there via the train itself or via a hidden forest path.