The Auguetbrücke is a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

over the

Aare The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to i ...

between the municipalities of

Muri bei Bern Muri bei Bern is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. History Muri is first mentioned in 1180 as ''Mure'' while Gümligen appears in 1239 as ''Gumelingen'' or ''Gumlingin'' Archa ...

and

Belp Belp is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is close to Bern's Belp Airport. The municipality of Belpberg merged on 1 January 2012 into the municipality of Belp.

in the

Canton of Bern The canton of Bern, or Berne (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the c ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. During the 18th and at the beginning of the 19th century, four

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

crossed the Aare river between

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

and

Thun Thun () is a List of towns in Switzerland, town and a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the administrative district of Thun (administrative district), Thun in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Bern, Bern in Switzerland. ...

. Increasing freight traffic from local farms at the beginning of the 19th century necessitated a bridge in the Hunzigenau. Construction of the Hunzigenbrücke began in the spring of 1835 and was completed by the summer of 1836. Construction of the N6 national road through the Aare river valley required a connection to the cantonal highway between the districts of

Konolfingen Konolfingen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Bern-Mittelland (administrative district), Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. History Konolf ...

and

Seftigen Seftigen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the administrative district of Thun (administrative district), Thun in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. History Seftigen is first mentioned in 1 ...

. This would have increased the river crossing traffic beyond the old wooden bridge's capacity, so a new concrete bridge was built and after 136 years the wooden bridge became superfluous. After much discussion, the bridge was moved to Auguet. The bridge was renamed Auguetbrücke and opened to the public as a footbridge in 1974. A commemorative plaque on the bridge reads "Hunzigenbrücke erbaut 1835 in der Hunzigenau. Versetzt und restauriert 1973-74 / Umbenannt in Auguetbrugg. Die Brücke steht unter dem Schutz des Bundes.", or roughly translated "Hunzigen Bridge built in 1835 at the Hunzigenau. Moved and restored 1973-74 / Renamed Auguetbrugg. The bridge is under the protection of the

Swiss Confederation Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerlan ...

References

Bridges over the Aare Pedestrian bridges in Switzerland Covered bridges in Switzerland Bridges completed in 1836 19th-century architecture in Switzerland {{Switzerland-bridge-struct-stub