Eiserne Brücke

Gazing at the Eiserne Brücke, have you ever wondered about its resilient spirit? This bridge, connecting Regensburg’s Altstadt and Unterer Wöhrd, has a fascinating story to tell. The Eiserne Brücke we see today, a sleek steel structure completed in 1991, isn’t the first of its kind. Its history stretches back to the 15th century, marked by a series of wooden predecessors spanning the southern arm of the Danube. A 1431/32 parchment manuscript tells of a devastating ice flow that destroyed the bridge. Another manuscript mentions 1511 as a reconstruction date, likely after another ice surge. The Eiserne Brücke faced nature’s fury again. In February 1784, a massive ice thrust, following a brutal winter, not only damaged the Steinerne Brücke but also obliterated the wooden bridge to Unterer Wöhrd. Even weighing it down with stones couldn’t save it. This devastation led to discussions of connecting Unterer Wöhrd to the Altstadt, similar to Oberer Wöhrd’s connection to the Steinerne Brücke. Our current Eiserne Brücke replaced an older structure from 1863, also called Eiserne Brücke. This 1863 version gained its name from iron reinforcements added to a failing wooden bridge from 1855. This first “iron bridge” was already fragile in 1940, suffered bomb damage in 1944, and was ultimately blown up by German troops in April 1945. This forced residents to cross the Danube by boat in the immediate postwar period, a frustrating situation. Finally, in May 1946, a temporary wooden bridge was completed, utilizing remnants of the destroyed bridge’s stone pier and steel longitudinal girders. The Italian writer and liberated concentration camp prisoner, Aldo Carpi, documented these challenging times in Regensburg while awaiting his return home. The Eiserne Brücke stands as a testament to Regensburg’s enduring spirit, a bridge rebuilt time and time again, connecting communities despite the odds.