The Karl Theodor Bridge (german: Karl-Theodor-Brücke), commonly known as the Old Bridge (''Alte Brücke''), is an
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...
in
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
that crosses the
Neckar
The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Schwenn ...
river. It connects the Old City with the eastern part of the Neuenheim district of the city on the opposite bank. The current bridge, made of
Neckar sandstone and the ninth built on the site, was constructed in 1788 by
Elector
Elector may refer to:
* Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors
* Elector, a member of an electoral college
** Confederate elector, a member of ...
Charles Theodore, and is one of the best-known landmarks and tourist destinations in Heidelberg.
History
Although the Karl Theodor Bridge was completed nearly 250 years ago, compared to the age of Heidelberg it is young. The nickname "Old Bridge" dates from the construction of the Theodor Heuss Bridge in 1877 (then known as the Friedrichs Bridge). Since the thirteenth century there have been eight bridges on the site; the current bridge is built on their foundations. The bridge gate (german: Brückentor) at the south end of the bridge also dates from the Middle Ages.
Precursors
The Romans built the first bridge in the region of what is now Heidelberg in the first century CE. This wooden
pile bridge, located between what are now the districts of Neuenheim and Bergheim, was rebuilt in stone around the year 200. After the Roman bridge collapsed Heidelberg was without a bridge for nearly a thousand years.
The next mention of a bridge over the Neckar is in 1284. Although the exact date of construction is unknown, it is believed to have been built shortly after the foundation of the city of Heidelberg in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century. The bridge was positioned on the site of the current one, directly aligned with the marketplace. As well as connecting the town with
Schönau Abbey
Schönau Abbey (''Kloster Schönau'') in Schönau in the Odenwald, in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis in Baden-Württemberg, was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1142 from Eberbach Abbey. The present settlement of Schönau grew up round the monastery.
...
, the bridge may have encouraged north-south traffic to pass through Heidelberg, rather than around it. The bridge marked the border of the
County Palatinate of the Rhine, as the northern bank of the Neckar belonged to the
Electorate of Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...
until 1460. The bridge therefore formed part of Heidelberg's defenses, secured by the gate on its southern end.
The first bridge was destroyed by an ice floe in 1288, with several other bridges meeting the same fate after brief life spans. The second bridge was destroyed by an ice flow in 1308, the third in 1340, the fourth around 1400 and the fifth in 1470. Although there are no surviving depictions of these first five bridges, there are two depictions of the sixth by
Sebastian Münster
Sebastian Münster (20 January 1488 – 26 May 1552) was a German cartographer and cosmographer. He also was a Christian Hebraist scholar who taught as a professor at the University of Basel. His well-known work, the highly accurate world map, '' ...
, hence its nickname, 'the Münster bridge' (german: Münster-Brücke). A small, round woodcut in Münster's 1527 ''
Calendarium Hebraicum'' shows a simple view of Heidelberg, including the bridge, but there is a much more detailed depiction in the artist's ''
Cosmographia'' of 1550. In the Heidelberg Panorama a bridge on eight stone pillars is visible, with a covered wooden roadway that is open at the sides. The two towers of the bridge gate can be made out at the southern end of the bridge, while the monkey tower (''Affenturm'') is on the seventh pillar, towards the north end of the bridge.
On the 2 February 1565 an ice floe destroyed the bridge's covered wooden roadway. The seventh bridge, built on the surviving stone pillars, was known as the "Merian Bridge" (''Merian-Brücke''), due to its prominence in
Matthäus Merian Matthäus is a given name or surname. Notable people with the name include:
;Surname
* Lothar Matthäus, (born 1961), German former football player and manager
;Given name
* Matthäus Aurogallus, Professor of Hebrew at the University of Wittenberg ...
's 1620 engraving of the city. Its appearance was similar to that of its predecessors, except that the span was covered between the monkey tower and the newly constructed
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
tower. The bridge survived the conquest of Heidelberg by
Johann Tserclaes in 1622 during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
unscathed, but was demolished on 2 March 1689 by the French under
Mélac during the first destruction of the city in the
Nine Years' War
The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
.
In the stead of a permanent bridge, Heidelbergers used
pontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, uses float (nautical), floats or shallow-draft (hull), draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the supports limits the maxi ...
s and river ferries for nearly 20 years. Construction on the eighth bridge finally began in 1786 and lasted for two years. To provide footing, the old pillars were repaired and the bridge was built laterally, again out of wood. The Affenturm was rebuilt in smaller scale at the northern gate, allowing barracks to be built on the second and seventh piers, where the statues of
Karl Theodor and
Minerva
Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...
now stand. This bridge also had two stone arches spanning from the river back and between both guardhouses that was retained in the modern bridge. The towers of the bridge gate that survived 1689 were fitted with
canopy roofs in 1714. In 1738, a statue of
John of Nepomuk
John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) ( cs, Jan Nepomucký; german: Johannes Nepomuk; la, Ioannes Nepomucenus) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393)
was the saint of Bohemia (Czech Republic) who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of Wenceslaus IV ...
was erected on the Neuenstadt side of the bridge, earning the eighth bridge the name "Nepomuk bridge" (''Nepomuk Brücke'').
Affenturm
As early as the 15th century there has been a
statue of a monkey on the Old Bridge holding a mirror, which disappeared during the
Nine Years' War
The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
. The current statue was designed by Gernot Rumpf and erected in 1979. The statue holds a mirror in one hand and forms the
sign of the horns
The sign of the horns is a hand gesture with a variety of meanings and uses in various cultures. It is formed by extending the index and little fingers while holding the middle and ring fingers down with the thumb.
Religious and supersti ...
with the other. Below the monkey is a poem by
Martin Zeiler written in 1632, reading,
''Why are you staring at me?''
''Haven't you seen the old Monkey of Heidelberg?''
''Look to and fro,''
''There you will find many more of my kind.''
(''Was thustu mich hie angaff en?''
''Hastu nicht gesehen den alten Affen zu Heydelberg?''
''Sich dich hin und her,''
''Da findestu wol meines gleichen mehr.'')
Tourists can place their heads within the monkey's head. Local legend has it that rubbing the mirror brings good luck, rubbing the fingers ensure a return to Heidelberg, and the little bronze-cast mice nearby bring fertility.
See also
*
List of medieval stone bridges in Germany
This list of medieval stone bridges in Germany includes bridges that were built during the Middle Ages (between c. 500 and 1500 AD) on the territory of the present Federal Republic of Germany.
Table of medieval stone bridges
References
Se ...
*
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
References
German
Published references
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External links
*
English
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Heidelberg
Tourist attractions in Heidelberg
Bridges in Baden-Württemberg
1788 in the Holy Roman Empire