The Geierlay is a
suspension bridge in the low mountain range of the
Hunsrück in western Germany. It was opened in 2015. It has a span range of and is up to above ground.
On both sides of the bridge are the villages of
Mörsdorf
Mörsdorf is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Ka ...
and
Sosberg.
A stream named Mörsdorfer Bach runs through the valley below the bridge.
The nearest city is
Kastellaun
Kastellaun is a town in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (Districts of Germany, district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Kastellaun (Verbandsgemeinde), like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality.
Geography ...
8 km eastwards. The state capital
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...
is 66 km towards east.
The bridge has a weight of 57 tons and can support 50 tons.
It is a pedestrians only bridge. Until 2020, bridge was free for tourists. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a fee of 5 euros per person was introduced for crossing the bridge. This fee has since been withdrawn; crossing is possible in both directions and is free of charge.
Twenty per cent of all visitors visiting the bridge do not cross it.
The bridge site is within the Top 100 sightseeing destinations in Germany.
Swiss Engineer Hans Pfaffen designed the bridge with similarities to Nepalese suspension bridges.
Since 2017 the Geierlay is only the second longest suspension rope bridge in Germany.
See also
*
List of bridges in Germany
This list of bridges in Germany lists bridges of particular historical, scenic, architectural or engineering interest. Road and railway bridges, viaducts, aqueducts and footbridges are included.
Historical and architectural interest bridges
{{ro ...
Notes
1
Day trip to Geierlay Suspension Bridge ''Chasing Whereabouts''. 16 October 2022.
References
Bridges completed in 2015
Suspension bridges in Germany
Pedestrian bridges in Germany
Hunsrück
Hiking trails in Rhineland-Palatinate
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