Deutz Suspension Bridge

The Deutz Suspension Bridge (German: Deutzer Hängebrücke) was a self-anchored suspension bridge using eyebar chains, located across the Rhine at Deutz in Cologne, Germany. It was built from 1913 to 1915. In 1935, it was named Hindenburg Bridge after Germany's second President died the previous year. It collapsed on 28 February 1945 during repair works and was replaced in 1948 by the Deutz Bridge, the world's first steel box girder bridge, designed by Fritz Leonhardt and Gerd Lohmer. H. D. Robinson, who later worked with David B. Steinman on the Florianopolis Bridge, another eyebar chain bridge, consulted on the towers for the design of this Cologne bridge. It reportedly later served as inspiration for American bridge engineers and was specifically cited as a design influence on the Three Sisters bridges in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as well as for the Kiyosu Bridge on the Sumida River in Tokyo.

Deutz Suspension Bridge

Deutzer Hängebrücke
Black-and-white photograph of the Deutz Suspension Bridge in 1925. The photo was taken from the shore. One end and both towers of the bridge are visible, with the river seen flowing underneath. The Cologne cathedral is visible on the far shore.
Deutz Suspension Bridge in 1925
Coordinates50°56′11″N 6°57′57″E / 50.93639°N 6.96583°E / 50.93639; 6.96583
Carriedmotor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians
CrossedRhine
LocaleCologne
Other name(s)Hindenburg Bridge
Characteristics
Designsuspension
First section length92 m (302 ft)
Second section length185 m (607 ft)
Third section length92 m (302 ft)
History
Construction start1913
Construction end1915
Collapsed28 February 1945
Replaced byDeutz Bridge
Location
Map
Deutz Suspension Bridge in 1925
An eyebar of the suspension chains
Deutz Bridge, 2016

Statistics

edit
  • span lengths 92 m – 185 m – 92 m
  • deck width 18.7 m / 27.50 m
edit