De Hef (), officially Koningshaven Bridge, is a

vertical-lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and sw ...

over the Koningshaven (Kings Harbor)

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at the port of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

, Netherlands. Built in 1927, the bridge was part of the

Breda–Rotterdam railway The Breda–Rotterdam railway is a heavily used railway line in the Netherlands running from Breda to Rotterdam, passing through Dordrecht. It is also called the ''Staatslijn I'' ("state line I") in Dutch. The line was opened between 1866 and 1877 ...

line until it was decommissioned in 1993. Today, it is a Rijksmonument heritage site.

History

The predecessor bridge dated from 1878. Its configuration as a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

proved an obstacle to shipping (the most notable incident occurring in 1918, when the bridge was struck by the German vessel ''Kandelfels''), and it was replaced by a lift bridge in 1927. It was the first bridge of this kind in western Europe. The bridge was the subject of a 1928 film by Joris Ivens, titled '' De brug''.

Redevelopment

Plans to demolish the railway line and bridge in 1993 were abandoned after widespread protests from local residents. The line was removed but the bridge was left in place as a Rijksmonument national heritage monument. In November 2014, the disused bridge's lift span was temporarily removed to permit renovation. It was transported to the Merwehaven port, where it was refurbished in 2016, the work funded by the city of Rotterdam. It was reinstalled in February 2017. In February 2022, Rotterdam announced that the middle section of the bridge would be temporarily removed again, to allow

Jeff Bezos Jeffrey Preston Bezos ( ;; and Robinson (2010), p. 7. ''né'' Jorgensen; born January 12, 1964) is an American entrepreneur, media proprietor, investor, and commercial astronaut. He is the founder, executive chairman, and former preside ...

's Y721 superyacht to pass through. In response to criticism of this decision, Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb stated in February of that year that no permit had yet been applied for. Later reports indicated that plans to temporarily dismantle De Hef have been shelved, leaving it unclear if ''Y721'' will be finished as is, and how it will sail down the river if it remains of the same dimensions.

Gallery

File:Nieuwe Koninginnebrug.jpg, Postcard with the newly opened Nieuwe Koninginnebrug in the foreground, and De Hef behind it. File:Sporen Hef.jpg, The old tracks on De Hef seen from the Noordereiland File:Rotterdam hef sept 2003.jpg, De Hef with the Koninginnebrug behind it. File:Rotterdam drie bruggen.jpg, View from Maasboulevard, with De Hef on the far left. File:Koninginnebrug en De Hef.jpg, Aerial view of the Koninginnebrug and De Hef. File:Rotterdam, zuidelijk deel van de Hef RM513922 foto7 2015-08-01 16.05.jpg, The southern tower of De Hef in 2015, when the lift span was temporarily removed during bridge renovation File:De Hef below.jpg, Underside of the bridge File:De Hef Controlekamer.jpg, The bridge control room

References

{{reflist Rijksmonuments in Rotterdam Railway bridges in the Netherlands Vertical lift bridges Bridges in Rotterdam