1965
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18.01.2026
© www.brueckenweb.de / Frank Sellke
Use in accordance with the terms and conditions
18.01.2026
© www.brueckenweb.de / Frank Sellke
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at the opening >>>Largest steel bridge in Europe<< (Text on a postcard)
The Berliner Brücke in Duisburg, with a length of 1824 meters, is the sixth longest road bridge in Germany.
History
After the end of the Second World War, Duisburg was developed into a car-friendly city. The bridge is part of the North-South Road, the first urban motorway in (West) Germany, today a section of the A59 motorway. Since the federal government declined to provide financial support for the project, the city financed the construction of the road itself. Officials in West Berlin became aware of the construction project as early as 1960. On July 8, 1960, the then Governing Mayor of Berlin, Willy Brandt, attended the laying of the foundation stone.[1]
Willy Brandt opened the Berliner Brücke on September 6, 1963, after three years of construction. As a sign of solidarity with the inhabitants of Berlin, it was named "Berliner Brücke" (Berlin Bridge), a name also expressed by the double sculpture "Begegnungen" (Encounters) by the Berlin artist Ursula Hanke-Förster at the southern end of the bridge.[2] This sculpture depicts two stylized groups of people waving to each other, separated by the newly built road.
The construction of the bridge was fraught with difficulties. For example, the Duisburg local press criticized the six-month delay in its inauguration. The total estimated cost for the construction – DM 49,942,000 – was not exceeded.
Bridge Complex
The bridge consists of 7 individual bridges of different designs arranged one after the other (from north to south):
City Park Bridge 328.15 m prestressed concrete
Freight Yard Bridge 314.34 m steel
Harbor Basin Bridge 274.17 m steel
Industrial Bridge 316.32 m prestressed concrete
Rhine-Herne Canal Bridge 219.13 m prestressed concrete box girder (RHK 302a)
Ruhr Bridge 347.30 m steel
Ruhr Dike Bridge 24.97 m Reinforced concrete