Alte Brücke

It is made of Neckar sandstone and was built in the 18th century by Elector Karl Theodor: the famous Old Bridge. It is one of the last great examples of classic bridge building in stone. It connects the old town with the banks of the Neckar at the eastern end of the Neuenheim district. The predecessors of today's Old Bridge were made of wood. Since they were repeatedly destroyed by wars and floods, Elector Karl Theodor had a stone bridge across the river build (1786-1788).

Old Bridge (Carl Theodor Bridge)

Friedrich Hölderlin has sung about her and Gottfried Keller too. Many painters have captured them in their pictures: the Old Bridge, which after the sovereign who had it built, actually called Carl Theodor Bridge. With nine arches, the bridge of red sandstone spans the Neckar and harmoniously blends into the cityscape framed by river and mountains.

In fact, the Old Bridge is still a relatively young beauty with many wooden ancestors. The first bridge at this point was mentioned in documents in 1284. Like all subsequent wooden bridge constructions, it was a victim of flooding and ice. That is why Elector Carl Theodor - after a large ice flood in 1784 had also destroyed the wooden bridge - commissioned the construction of a stone bridge in 1786-88 for the first time. Their elevated bridge yokes in the middle allow rapid outflow at high tide.

On March 29, 1945, one of the last days of the war, German soldiers blew up the Heidelberg Neckar bridges and the Alte Brücke. Thanks to a donation campaign, which was vigorously supported by the citizens, reconstruction began on March 14, 1946. On July 26, 1947 was the inauguration. In 2001, the Old Bridge was added to the World Monuments Fund, the list of the 100 most endangered monuments in the world.

ww2.heidelberg.de/Altstadt-Information/Sektor07/Sektor07_altebruecke.htm

The old bridge is made of Neckar valley sandstone and was originally built by Elector Karl Theodor in the 18th century: the famous Old Bridge. It is one of the last great examples of the classic art of bridge building in stone. It connects the old town with the banks of the Neckar at the eastern end of the Neuenheim district. The predecessors of today's Old Bridge were made of wood. Since they were repeatedly destroyed by wars and floods, Elector Karl Theodor had a stone bridge built over the river (1786-1788). On the city side, the medieval bridge gate, part of the former city wall, has been preserved.