Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge in Wilhelmshaven

Thursday, 28 September 2023 00:00
Written by Portal Editor

At first almost forgotten again and then returned to the memory of the events on or along our routes: the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge in Wilhelmshaven.

The monumental monument of steel construction is known far beyond the city limits of Wilhelmshaven as a landmark of the city and is also one of the attractions for vacationers and visitors to Wilhelmshaven, especially since the bridge, built in 1907, has been recognized as a national monument.

In 1975 the bridge was placed under monument protection

The KW Bridge, as it is popularly known, leads over the Great Harbor and connects the southern part of the city with the southern beach and the “Maritime Mile” with numerous museums and adventure worlds. With a span of 159 m and a clear height of 9 m, it was the largest swing bridge in Europe when it was built - it is again today, as a comparable bridge was dismantled in 1944. The Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge is 8 meters wide and weighs 440 tons. The clearance height is 9.00 m + 1.10 m at average harbour water level, the clearance width is 58.60 m. The two supports are around 20.4 m high. The bridge's carriageways originally had an oak flooring, on which tracks for tram line 2 to the southern beach had been laid since 1913. In 1975 the bridge was placed under monument protection.

Today, road traffic on the bridge is only possible in one direction. The regulation is carried out by modern traffic lights. Pedestrians and cyclists are exempt from these traffic regulations. You always have a chance to cross when the bridge is closed. Before swinging out, the bridge is closed to all traffic using light signals and barriers.

The KW Bridge was built between 1905 and 1907 for 1.625 million gold marks and was put into operation on September 4, 1907. The construction of the bridge became necessary when, in the third port construction phase (1900 to 1910), a bridge had to be built over the new port basins at the interface between the connecting port and the large port. The bridge was built in the MAN bridge construction company in Gustavsburg near Mainz, the technical designer was Anton Rieppel.

The Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge is functionally a double swing bridge

Construction began in November 1905 with the foundation and concrete work for the substructure. From November 1906, the steel truss structure was assembled at the bridge construction company in Gustavsburg. The prefabricated components were transported by water to Wilhelmshaven for final assembly. The construction was managed by senior naval construction officer Ernst Troschel from the port construction department of the Imperial Shipyard.

The Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge is functionally a double swing bridge and statically belongs to the "family" of suspension bridges as a belt bridge. It consists of two independently rotating bridge parts with equal arms. The rein belts swing from the two steel, riveted truss pylons and support the cantilevered carriageways on both sides via vertical suspensions. The rotating pylons are rotated from the sloping transverse joint to the centre of the bridge using gears.

In 1998, the rotating mechanism of the northern part of the bridge was damaged in a tugboat accident in a collision with a frigate and had to be partially overhauled. In 2003 there was another accident. A freighter rammed the bridge and slightly damaged it.

On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, the largest swing bridge in Europe received two portal lights in 2007, which were reconstructed based on historical models. For this occasion, the city of Wilhelmshaven made the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge the motto of its largest harbour festival, the Weekend on the Jade, and organized a historic bridge festival on the first weekend in September. In addition, a 1.45 euro special stamp with a picture of the bridge was released on August 9, 2007.

The bridge's long-planned renovation began on September 23, 2010. The city council made 7.3 million euros available for the renovation. The bridge was reopened to pedestrians and cyclists on September 28, 2012, just in time for the Jade-Weser-Port Cup Regatta weekend.

We take advantage of the autumn sun for a long walk

On September 17, 2013, the renovation of the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge was officially completed after three years and the bridge was reopened to motor vehicle traffic. As part of the renovation, the bridge was structurally repaired and received, among other things, a completely new coating and new coverings for the roadways and sidewalks.

The railing of the bridge was restored according to historical models. In addition, the bridge was equipped with a new lighting concept that is intended to highlight the bridge as a landmark of the city. Investments were also made in the surrounding area. The bridge houses were completely renovated and a new staircase was built to provide access to the north wing.

We took advantage of the autumn sun for a long walk across the historic bridge and the facilities on the south beach to the Helgoland pier, where we concluded our visit with a delicious fish dinner.