Bridge at Night (variation of a theme - Part 3)
IMG_0622
Theodor Heuss Bridge, Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany - A straw poll if you will; the same scene, different settings and post production - which do you prefer?
The Theodor-Heuss-Brücke, spanning the River Rhine, links the Mainz-Kastel district of Wiesbaden, capital of the German state of Hesse, with the state capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, Mainz. Carrying Bundesstraßen (highway) 40 and 455, it serves as both a vital transport artery and a notable example of late 19th-century bridge engineering. Designed by Friedrich von Thiersch, it was originally constructed between 1883 and 30 May 1885 as a steel road bridge incorporating the structural principles of a deck arch bridge, a truss arch bridge, and a two-hinged arch bridge.
When first completed, the bridge measured 13.80 metres in width; this was increased to 18.80 metres between 1931 and 1934 to accommodate rising traffic volumes. The structure comprises five spans: 87.13 metres, 98.96 metres, 102.94 metres (the main span), 98.96 metres, and 87.13 metres, supported by a robust steel framework and elegantly engineered arches.
The site has a long history of river crossings. The Romans built a bridge in the vicinity in 27 AD, but the first modern arch bridge on this location was inaugurated on 30 May 1885. Its construction cost 3.6 million gold marks, a sum recovered within three years through toll revenues, although toll collection continued until 1912.
The bridge suffered significant wartime damage when, on 17 March 1945, German military engineers destroyed it to prevent Allied forces from securing a crossing, a strategy employed across the Rhine to avoid a repeat of the events at Remagen. Reconstruction took place between 1948 and 1950, with partial rebuilding carried out from 1992 to 1995 at a cost of 139.5 million marks.
Today, the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke remains in active use, its combination of historical significance, structural resilience, and engineering elegance continuing to make it a landmark of the Rhine landscape.
Structurae. ‘Theodor Heuss Bridge (Wiesbaden/Mainz, 1885)’. Accessed 11 August 2025. structurae.net/en/structures/theodor-heuss-bridge-1885.
‘Theodor Heuss Bridge (Mainz-Wiesbaden)’. In Wikipedia, 22 September 2024. en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theodor_Heuss_Bridge_(Mainz-Wiesbaden)&oldid=1247108401.
Bridge at Night (variation of a theme - Part 3)
IMG_0622
Theodor Heuss Bridge, Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany - A straw poll if you will; the same scene, different settings and post production - which do you prefer?
The Theodor-Heuss-Brücke, spanning the River Rhine, links the Mainz-Kastel district of Wiesbaden, capital of the German state of Hesse, with the state capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, Mainz. Carrying Bundesstraßen (highway) 40 and 455, it serves as both a vital transport artery and a notable example of late 19th-century bridge engineering. Designed by Friedrich von Thiersch, it was originally constructed between 1883 and 30 May 1885 as a steel road bridge incorporating the structural principles of a deck arch bridge, a truss arch bridge, and a two-hinged arch bridge.
When first completed, the bridge measured 13.80 metres in width; this was increased to 18.80 metres between 1931 and 1934 to accommodate rising traffic volumes. The structure comprises five spans: 87.13 metres, 98.96 metres, 102.94 metres (the main span), 98.96 metres, and 87.13 metres, supported by a robust steel framework and elegantly engineered arches.
The site has a long history of river crossings. The Romans built a bridge in the vicinity in 27 AD, but the first modern arch bridge on this location was inaugurated on 30 May 1885. Its construction cost 3.6 million gold marks, a sum recovered within three years through toll revenues, although toll collection continued until 1912.
The bridge suffered significant wartime damage when, on 17 March 1945, German military engineers destroyed it to prevent Allied forces from securing a crossing, a strategy employed across the Rhine to avoid a repeat of the events at Remagen. Reconstruction took place between 1948 and 1950, with partial rebuilding carried out from 1992 to 1995 at a cost of 139.5 million marks.
Today, the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke remains in active use, its combination of historical significance, structural resilience, and engineering elegance continuing to make it a landmark of the Rhine landscape.
Structurae. ‘Theodor Heuss Bridge (Wiesbaden/Mainz, 1885)’. Accessed 11 August 2025. structurae.net/en/structures/theodor-heuss-bridge-1885.
‘Theodor Heuss Bridge (Mainz-Wiesbaden)’. In Wikipedia, 22 September 2024. en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theodor_Heuss_Bridge_(Mainz-Wiesbaden)&oldid=1247108401.