Have you noticed the gentle murmur of the Dreisam river flowing beneath the Sandfangbrücke? This bridge is more than just a crossing. It is a historical marker. The Sandfangbrücke connects the Sandfangweg with the Kartäuserstraße in Freiburg. It spans the Dreisam with a length of 23 meters.
The Sandfangbrücke gets its name from the nearby Sandfang Gewerbekanal Freiburg. This industrial canal has played a vital role in Freiburg’s economy. Water diverted here powered various businesses. The bridge is located at the narrow part of Freiburg.
Right next to the Sandfangbrücke, a statue stands. It is the figure of Saint Nepomuk. This statue has a moving history. Originally, it stood near the Gasthaus Zur Sonne Wiehre. This was near a bridge over the Hölderlebach on today’s Baslerstraße in Freiburg. The exact date of its installation is unknown. It was likely after 1744. Before then, the area was leveled due to fortress construction and wars.
Saint Nepomuk stood by the inn Zur Sonne in the 18th century. The inn was also known as Brücklewirtshaus because of the bridge over the Hölderlebach. In the mid-19th century, the Baslerstrasse was redeveloped. The innkeepers gave the statue a new base. The Baslerstrasse was the final section of the route from Basel to Freiburg.
In the mid-20th century, the Hölderlebach was covered over during road and housing construction. The bridge and its saint were no longer needed there. Saint Nepomuk was moved to Freiburg’s east side in 1957. He has been standing at the Sandfangbrücke ever since.
Johannes von Nepomuk was likely born around 1350 in Bohemia. He became the general vicar of the Archbishop of Prague. King Wenzel I had him arrested and tortured for unclear reasons. On March 20, 1393, he was thrown from the Charles Bridge into the Vltava river. Since then, he has been considered a bridge saint. His statue stands on the Charles Bridge in Prague today. In the Middle Ages, he became a bridge saint in the Alemannic region.
The Sandfangwehr dams the Dreisam water on the east side of the Sandfangbrücke. The dammed water drives a waterpower plant. It is located west of the bridge on the southern bank of the Dreisam. A screw turbine powers it. When the water level is high enough, water flows into the Gewerbekanal on the northern bank. An automatically controlled gate regulates this flow. Businesses in Freiburg use the water from the Gewerbekanal. Excess water flows back via a rough ramp.
A fish passage under the Sandfangbrücke helps fish bypass the weir. The passage ends where the Gewerbekanal starts. The Sandfangwehr was replaced by a rough ramp around 2007. A fish passage was added under the Sandfangbrücke at the same time.
In 2023 and 2024, rock stabilization work was carried out on the north side of the Kartäuserstraße. These works were in the area of the Sandfang. The Sandfangbrücke continues to play its role today. It is a testament to Freiburg’s history.