Hohenzollern Bridge

Hohenzollern Bridge

Hohenzollernbrücke
Hohenzollern bridge
Hohenzollern bridge
Coordinates50°56′29″N 06°57′56″E / 50.94139°N 6.96556°E / 50.94139; 6.96556
CarriesTrain and pedestrian traffic[1]
CrossesRiver Rhine[1]
LocaleCologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany[1]
OwnerDeutsche Bahn
Characteristics
DesignTied arch bridge (1948)[1]
MaterialConcrete piers with steel superstructure[1]
Total length409.19 metres (1,342.5 ft)[1]
Width26.2 metres (86 ft) (deck, 1987)[1]
Longest span167.75 metres (550.4 ft)[1]
No. of spans118.88 metres (390.0 ft) - 167.75 metres (550.4 ft) - 122.56 metres (402.1 ft) (1987)[1]
History
Constructed byKrupp Maschinen- und Stahlbau (steel), Grün & Bilfinger and Heinrich Butzer (concrete) 1946
August Klönne and Stahlbau Albert Liesegang (steel), Philipp Holzmann AG (concrete) 1956
Hein, Lehmann & Co. and Krupp Industrietechnik GmbH and Thyssen Engineering GmbH (steel) 1986[1]
Construction start1946, 1956, 1986
Construction end1948, 1959, 1987
Construction costDM 14,000,000[1]
Location
Map
Hohenzollern Bridge

Hohenzollernbrücke
Hohenzollern Bridge, with Cologne Cathedral and Museum Ludwig in the background
Coordinatessee above
CrossedRiver Rhine
LocaleCologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany[2]
Preceded byCathedral Bridge
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge with suspended deck (1911)[2]
Width32.45 metres (106.5 ft) (deck)[2]
Longest span167.75 metres (550.4 ft)[2]
No. of spans118.88 metres (390.0 ft) - 167.75 metres (550.4 ft) - 122.56 metres (402.1 ft) (1911)[2]
History
ArchitectFranz Heinrich Schwechten (1911)[2]
Construction start1907
Construction end1911
Collapsed6 March 1945[2]

The Hohenzollern Bridge (German: Hohenzollernbrücke) is a bridge crossing the river Rhine in the German city of Cologne (German: Köln). It crosses the Rhine at kilometre 688.5. Originally, the bridge was both a railway and road bridge. However, after its destruction in 1945 and subsequent reconstruction, the bridge has been only accessible to rail and pedestrian traffic.

It is the most heavily-used railway bridge in Germany with more than 1,200 trains crossing daily,[3] connecting the Köln Hauptbahnhof and Köln Messe/Deutz stations.