Fischgrundbrücke

Have you ever heard of a bridge that could reveal a liar? The Fischgrundbrücke, right here in Frohnau, was once whispered to possess just that power. Long before it bore its current name, this bridge over the Berlin Nordbahn was known as the “Schwarze Brücke,” or “Black Bridge.” It was a modest structure, a mere three meters wide, and by the early 1900s, riddled with imperfections. A local legend surrounded the Schwarze Brücke. It claimed that anyone who crossed it bearing a lie on their conscience would suffer a broken leg. This gave it another nickname, the “Lügenbrücke,” or “Lie Bridge.” Imagine the apprehension of those crossing, their steps faltering as they pondered their recent pronouncements. A proposal to replace the rickety Schwarze Brücke with a wider, sturdier structure emerged in 1909. This new 15-meter-wide bridge was completed and opened to the public on May 7, 1910. The Hermsdorf-Waidmannsluster and Frohnauer Zeitung reported the event. The Kreuzritterstrasse, which the bridge served, originally extended to Burgfrauenstrasse, lending the bridge the name “Kreuzritterbrücke” or “Crusader Bridge”. This name held until April 11, 1986, when it was finally christened the Fischgrundbrücke. The name “Fischgrund,” meaning “fishing ground,” echoes the street “Im Fischgrund,” which, along with Kreuzritterstrasse, the bridge carries over the railway. So, as you stand here on the Fischgrundbrücke, remember its intriguing past. Consider the whispers of broken legs and revealed lies that once clung to this very spot. Though the old Schwarze Brücke is gone, replaced by a more modern structure, the echoes of its legend remain, a quirky reminder of Frohnau’s history.