Seven bridges have spanned the Dahme River at Schmökwitz. This is the story of the eighth. The Schmökwitzwerder Brücke stands before you a testament to resilience and reinvention.
The first Schmökwitz bridge arrived in 1602. It didn’t last long. Destroyed by fire during the Thirty Years’ War it met a fiery end. Imperial armies marched across it then reduced it to ashes. For centuries a simpler structure held its place. A basic pile bridge with lifts allowed sailing ships to pass. This humble bridge saw numerous rebuilds. Legend even whispers of another fire in 1813.
In 1887 the Adlergestell was expanded. Nine years later innkeeper Gärisch built a more permanent bridge between Schmökwitz Werder and Wernsdorf. This marked a turning point. Schmökwitz became a popular water sports and recreation center for Berliners.
Then in 1907 work began on a new steel bridge. They called it the Neue Brücke the New Bridge. It was shifted about 50 meters upstream from its predecessor. The western opening featured a steel swing bridge. This allowed ships to pass. The eastern opening was a steel framework with a 45-meter span. The bridge was 10.3 meters wide. Its roadway was only 5.6 meters wide. It was paved in the eastern section. The swing bridge area was covered in wooden planks. Completed in 1908 its lift mechanism remained in service until 1939 then was decommissioned in 1941.
Tragedy struck on April 23 1945. German troops blew up the eastern section minutes before the Red Army arrived. Soviet engineers swiftly replaced it with a temporary floating bridge. This used two pontoons placed side by side. Disaster struck again on June 6 1946. An overloaded truck carrying two trailers plunged into the Dahme. The temporary bridge had collapsed.
A new emergency bridge was built. This one was made of wood with a five-meter wide road. It opened to traffic in 1947. The old steel wreckage was removed from the river. The wooden bridge was a temporary fix.
In 1951 plans for a new bridge began. Designs included a two-hinged frame a two-hinged arch with a tie rod and a continuous girder bridge. Construction on the Schmökwitzwerder Brücke finally started in 1960. This time a steel girder construction with three spans and a separate steel reinforced concrete road deck was used. The new bridge’s spans took advantage of the old abutments and a central pier. Adding another pier created spans of 9 36 and 9 meters. Old swing bridge cellars were covered over with a concrete slab. The Schmökwitzwerder Brücke was finished. It measures 72.4 meters long and 22.8 meters wide. The road takes up 12 meters. The bridge’s axis remained unchanged. In 1963 the temporary bridge was removed. The Schmökwitzwerder Brücke stood complete.
So here we stand on the banks of the Dahme. This bridge is more than concrete and steel. It is a living history of war resilience and engineering. It connects not just two banks but also generations. This is the Schmökwitzwerder Brücke a story written in stone and steel.