“Caprivi who?” I can almost hear you ask about the name of this Caprivibrücke. This bridge, my friends, isn’t just steel and concrete. It is a testament to Berlin’s resilience. It connects Wintersteinstraße to Sömmeringstraße. More importantly, it links the past to the present.
The Caprivibrücke spans the River Spree in Charlottenburg. It is named after Reich Chancellor Graf Leo von Caprivi who was born in Charlottenburg. He succeeded Bismarck as German Reich Chancellor serving from 1890 to 1894.
Let’s step back in time to 1900. Imagine a simple wooden bridge here funded by citizen donations. This was the first Spree crossing at this location. It was named Caprivibrücke in honor of the then Reich Chancellor.
Charlottenburg became part of Berlin. The Berlin bridge building authority decided to build a solid bridge. So, they removed the old wooden structure.
Between 1919 and 1923 a new Caprivibrücke emerged. It was a steel arch bridge. The arch spanned 55 meters. Eleven-meter-long iron beams connected to it. The roadway was ten meters wide. Sidewalks of six meters were added.
Fast forward to the end of World War II. The German Wehrmacht blew up the bridge. They wanted to stop the Red Army’s advance. Rebuilding it to the original plans wasn’t feasible. The materials and techniques of the 1950s were inadequate. Almost all bridge parts had fallen into the river.
But Berliners are not easily deterred. In 1954, the city began constructing today’s Caprivibrücke. They opted for a modern prestressed concrete design. The Philipp Holzmann company built it using steel from the Rheinhausen steel plant.
The bridge was widened to 24 meters. It now stretches across the entire Spree. The inclined side supports rest on reinforced foundations. These foundations were from the earlier bridge. The new Caprivibrücke features a shallow frame structure. It has two torsion-resistant box girders. It opened in September 1956.
The Caprivibrücke carries four traffic lanes and two sidewalks. Eight streetlights stand about ten meters tall. The nearest subway stations are Richard-Wagner-Platz and Mierendorffplatz. A water taxi and tour boat stop is right by the Caprivibrücke. The Österreichpark lies beneath the bridge’s north bank.
Did you know about the duck race? In 2008, a charity duck race took place here. Thousands of rubber ducks raced along the Spree. They floated from Siemenssteg to the Caprivibrücke. The proceeds went to restoring the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church tower.
In 2021, plans were made to add a bike path. It would replace parking spaces.
As you stand here on the Caprivibrücke think about its history. The Caprivibrücke connects not only streets. It connects generations and stories. It is a symbol of Berlin’s enduring spirit.