The Bundesstraße 8 (abbr. B8) is a German federal highway in southwestern Germany of great historical importance. It has existed since the 9th century, known then as Via Publica, and until recent times was a key trade route linking the towns of Brussels, Duisburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Würzburg, Nuremberg, Regensburg and Passau. Today it has been replaced as a main route by the A3 motorway, which runs parallel to it.

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B 8
Bundesstraße 8
Route information
Length800 km (500 mi)
Major junctions
Northwest endEmmerich am Rhein
Southeast endPassau
Location
CountryGermany
StatesNorth Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Bavaria
Highway system
  • Roads in Germany

History

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The Via Publica (later known as the Poststraße or Handelsstraße) was first mentioned in 839 in a diploma of Louis the Pious. In the Middle Ages it joined the commercial cities of Cologne, Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Regensburg. The Steinerne Brücke bridge in Regensburg (1135–46), the Innbrücke bridge in Passau (1143), the Lahnbrücke bridge in Limburg (completed 1341) and the main bridges in Würzburg (1133), Frankfurt (before 1222) and Kitzingen (before 1300) are among the oldest stone bridges in central Europe and testify to the historical importance of this road.

In 1615, the general postmaster Lamoral von Taxis was tasked by emperor Matthias with setting up a postal route between Brussels and Prague, via Frankfurt and Nuremberg. To achieve this the Via Publica was expanded to a Poststraße. The present day Bundesstraße 8 is largely identical to the Via Publica. The medieval trade route largely used dry level roads rather than the valleys, which were swampy and impassible after rain. Part of the Via Publcia was referred to as the Mauspfad.

Route / Junctions

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from Zevenaar
  (NL) border crossing
North Rhine-Westphalia
 
Elten
 
Emmerich am Rhein   B 220
 
Rees   B 67
 
Wesel   B 473   B 58   B 70
  (1) Dinslaken-West   A 59

replaced by L1


 
Duisburg-Huckingen   B 288
 
Düsseldorf-Wittlaer
  Düsseldorf-Kaiserswerth
  Düsseldorf-Lohausen
  (30) Düsseldorf-Stockum   A 44
  Düsseldorf-Derendorf   B 1/  B 7
  (23) Düsseldorf-Bilk   B 326   A 46

replaced by   A 46   A 59


 
Düsseldorf-Benrath   B 228
  (23) Düsseldorf-Garath   A 59
 
Langenfeld   B 229
  (2) Langenfeld-Reusrath   A 542
 
Opladen   B 232
  (22) Opladen   A 3
  Leverkusen-Wiesdorf
 
Leverkusen   A 1
 
Cologne   B 51   B 506   B 55   B 55a
  (31) Gremberghoven   A 59
  (36) Lind   A 59
 
Siegburg   B 56

replaced by L333



replaced by   A 560


  (7) Hennef (Sieg)-Ost   A 560
Rheinland-Pfalz
 
Altenkirchen (Westerwald)   B 256   B 414
 
Höchstenbach   B 413
 
Hahn am See   B 255
 
Wallmerod
Hesse
 
Limburg an der Lahn   B 54/  B 49   B 417
  Lahn
  Tunnel Schiede Tunnel 240 m
  (43) Limburg-Süd   A 3
 
Bad Camberg
 
Waldems-Esch   B 275
 
Königstein   B 455   B 519
 
Motor road
Kraftfahrstraße
  Kelkheim   B 519
  Bad Soden
  Sulzbach
 
End of the motor road
end of motor road
  (16) Frankfurt-Höchst   A 66

replaced by   A 66

  (18) Eschborner 3-way interchange   A 648

replaced by   A 648

  (3) Westkreuz Frankfurt   A 5
  (5) Katharinenkreisel (formerly Opelrondell)   B 44

  (-) Frankfurt-Messe   A 648
  (21) Frankfurt-Miquelallee   A 66
 
Frankfurt am Main   B 3
  (14) Frankfurt-Ost   A 661
  (33) Maintal-Bischofsheim   A 66

replaced by   A 66

  (36) Hanau-Nord   B 45   A 66

  (37) Erlensee interchange   A 66
  Hanau-Lamboy
  Hanau   B 43
 
Hanau
  Hanau-Wolfgang   B 43a
Bayern
 
Kahl
 
Karlstein
  (45b) Kleinostheim   A 45
 
Kleinostheim
  (58) Aschaffenburg-West   A 3
  Mainaschaff
 
Motor road
Kraftfahrstraße
  Mainaschaff-Ost/Aschaffenburg-Strietwald
 
End of the motor road
end of motor road
 
Aschaffenburg   B 26

replaced by   A 3


  (65) Marktheidenfeld   A 3
  Main
 
Marktheidenfeld
  (67) Helmstadt   B 468   A 3
 
Würzburg   B 27   B 19   B 13
  Main
  bei Rottendorf 3-way interchange   B 22
  (72) Rottendorf   A 3
  Biebelried-West
  (103) Kitzingen   A 7
 
Kitzingen
  Main
 
Enzlar   B 286
 
no lorries
Barred to lorry traffic
 
End of lorry-free section
Open to lorry traffic
 
Diversion
Neustadt/Aisch local diversion   B 470
 
Motor road
Kraftfahrstraße
  Langenzenn/Wilhermsdorf
  Langenzenn-Burggrafenhof
  Langenzenn-Horbach (entry   / exit  )
  Seukendorf
  with southwest tangent, 3-way interchange   B 8 branches off
 
Diversion
Fürth–Burgfarrnbach local diversion
  Fürth West
 
End of the motor road
end of motor road
 
Fürth
  (38) Nuremberg/Fürth   A 73
  Maximilianstraße   B 4 R

replaced by   B 4 R

 
Nürnberg   B 2   B 4   B 14

  Münchener Straße   B 4 R
  (45) Nuremberg-Zollhaus   A 73

replaced by   A 73


  (48) Nuremberg/Feucht   A 73
 
Diversion
Feucht local diversion
 
Schwarzenbruck
 
Pfeifferhütte
 
Diversion
Oberferrieden local diversion
 
Postbauer-Heng
 
Diversion
Neumarkt-Pölling local diversion
 
Diversion
Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz local diversion   B 299
 
Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz
 
Deining
 
Diversion
Batzhausen local diversion
 
Seubersdorf
 
Daßwang
 
Diversion
Hemau local diversion
 
Nittendorf
  (97) Nittendorf   A 3
  (39) Regensburg-Pfaffenstein   A 93
 
Regensburg   B 15   B 16
  Nibelungen Bridge Regensburg
  (103) Rosenhof   A 3
 
Diversion
Pfatter local diversion
 
Diversion
Rain local diversion
 
Diversion
Straubing local diversion
 
Diversion
Aiterhofen local diversion   B 20
 
Diversion
Straßkirchen local diversion
  (22) Plattling-West   A 92
 
no lorries
Barred to lorry traffic
 
Plattling
 
End of lorry-free section
Open to lorry traffic
 
Diversion
Osterhofen local diversion
 
Vilshofen an der Donau
 
Passau   B 12   B 85
  (A) border crossing

continues towards Linz

See also

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