Most beautiful connection
The arch bridge has gracefully connected Mainz with the Kastel on the right bank of the Rhine since 1885. It is considered an important and one of the most beautiful axes across the Rhine. The Theodor Heuss Bridge is not only frequented by cars - it is an integral part of many cycling and jogging tours. From here, walkers enjoy the view over the river to Mainz.
Built near the ancient Roman bridge and the later electoral ship bridge, the Theodor Heuss Bridge was something special for the people on both sides of the Rhine from the start. Several bridge festivals testify to the great importance of the connecting axis.
Theodor-Heuss-Brücke at a glance
Numbers, Data, Facts
Erected: 1882 to 1885
Architectural-artistic design: Friedrich von Thiersch
Client: Joint project between the Philipp Holzmann companies and the Benckiser brothers
Historical
For more than 1,000 years there was no fixed bridge connecting both sides of the Rhine. That was to change at the end of the 19th century. Construction work began in 1882 following a Germany-wide tender. The jury decided on the joint project of the companies Philipp Holzmann and the Benckiser brothers from 38 designs.
Flood disasters in the winter of 1882/83 severely hampered the construction work, but in 1885 work on the five steel arches on massive sandstone pillars came to a happy end.
3.5 million kilograms of wrought iron were required, countless rivets held the construction, which were sold to the population after the new arches were installed at the bridge festival of our day. The spans of 87-99-103-99-87 meters not only ensured smooth shipping traffic, but also contributed significantly to the elegant appearance of the building to this day.
On May 30, 1885 the time had come: the new bridge was ceremoniously inaugurated. On this day it was still free to use. From June 1, 1885, all passers-by had to pay a bridge fee: four pfennigs for every pedestrian, five pfennigs for every passenger on the horse-drawn tram, one pfennig had to be paid for a pig or a goat, and schoolchildren were exempt.
Customs officers sat in so-called octroi houses on both bridgeheads and collected the obolus. What was initially limited to three years was ultimately valid for 27 years. The bridge fee was not abolished until 1912.
The grand ducal state government raised the bridge tariff in order to refinance the immense construction costs of 3.6 million gold marks for the time.
In the first decades of the 20th century, the volume of traffic increased so much that the bridge was widened by five meters from 1931 to 1934. Not an easy undertaking, as the pillars in the unstable river bed had to be rebuilt for structural reasons.
Second World War and reconstruction
In 1945, in the last months of the war (in March), German pioneers blew up the bridge without being able to stop the advance of the Allies. For the duration of the reconstruction, which was crowned with a bridge festival in 1950, US pioneers built a pontoon bridge similar to the one that had existed in the electoral period since 1661. The rebuilt bridge in the simpler forms of modern times still carried rail lines for tram traffic. In 1960, the Kastel side received the roundabout to handle the traffic flows from three intersecting federal roads.
Since 1945 the bridge has had a further meaning: After the Second World War, the Rhine was declared the border between the American and French occupation zones and the city of Mainz was thus divided. The part of Mainz on the left bank of the Rhine was then incorporated into the newly formed state of Rhineland-Palatinate, while the parts of the city on the right bank of the Rhine were added to the newly founded state of Hesse.
Mainz-Kastel on the right bank of the Rhine, like Mainz-Amöneburg and Mainz-Kostheim, was placed under "fiduciary administration" by today's Hessian state capital Wiesbaden.
General renovation from 1991 to 1995
The bridge underwent a major change during the general renovation from 1991 to 1995. In particular, the steel arches had to be replaced and the roadway slabs renewed. In the course of the renovation, the preservation department ensured that, in addition to the technically and functionally necessary work, the original character of the building was also taken into account. With the selection of the lamps, the railings, the color and the installation of historical details such as the crest cartouches or an original semi-arch on the Kasteler Ufer, attempts were made to restore the building's old beauty.
In addition to the technical challenges of the renovation, the bridge builders of the present time mastered a mammoth work with flowing traffic. In total, the renovation cost 139.5 million marks. A lot of money, which was well invested in view of the function of the important connection and the aesthetics of the building in front of the famous Mainz city panorama.
After more than three years of general renovation, the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke was reopened to traffic on July 18, 1995. On this and the following day, however, only for around 200,000 pedestrians who had flocked from the two state capitals on both sides of the Rhine to celebrate their most beautiful connecting axis with the bridge festival.
Not quite in the middle of the bridge, the Mainz-Kastel place-name sign marks the state border between Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. The road bridge in the center of the city was and is always something special for the people in Mainz on both sides of the Rhine. This is the only way to understand the rush after the restoration work on the 110-year-old building.
This had also been the case at the three previous bridge festivals. In 1995, passers-by were able to pay a bridge toll to help finance the festival with its seven stages, a double musical fireworks display and to purchase a small souvenir.
Architecture
Friedrich von Thiersch designed the modern steel construction, which was considered a marvel of technology. In the following years, the architect created other important structures in the Rhine-Main region with the Wiesbaden Kurhaus and the Frankfurt Festhalle.
Against the historical backdrop of the Deutschhaus and Zeughaus, the elegant, functional building extends over a length of 550 meters. The five steel arches with spans of 87-99-103-99-87 meters are supported by four sandstone pillars between the two bridgeheads.
During the reconstruction after the Second World War, the bridge railings were based on the historical model. However, these are specially made new creations.
Today
Today the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke connects the two federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse as well as the state capital Mainz with the state capital Wiesbaden via Mainz-Kastel.
As part of popular bike routes and jogging routes, not only their lanes but also the sidewalks are actively used.
For "more knowledgeable": Roman Rhine Bridge
The Romans built the first permanent bridge over the Rhine. At the moment, only a bronze relief on the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke, about 100 meters upstream from the actual location, gives an impression of this.
With Castellum the Romans had built a bridgehead on the right bank of the Rhine. In the first few years of the offensive, a pontoon bridge probably established the connection here.
Around the year 27 AD, the first fixed bridge replaced the forerunner. It consisted of at least 21 stone pillars 18 meters long and 7 meters wide and had a 12 meter wide, multi-lane carriageway. The remains of this Roman Rhine bridge, which stood above today's Theodor-Heuss-Brücke, are evidence of the high engineering art of the Romans. Its supporting pillars were put together from large stone blocks and stuck in so-called "iron pile shoes". These in turn sat on oak stakes that had been rammed into the river bed.
