Ever wondered why a bridge in Hiltrup carries the name Prinzbrücke? It has nothing princely about it. The Prinzbrücke is more than just a crossing over the Dortmund-Ems Canal. Its history is full of interesting facts. The locals might even get a little prickly about it.
The bridge’s name doesn’t come from royalty. There weren’t any princes in Hiltrup. Instead, it’s named after the Prinz family. They owned a coffee shop and guesthouse near the bridge. This was a popular spot for cyclists and hikers. They were on their way to the Steiner See. The family’s business was well-regarded.
During the war, the building suffered heavy damage from bombs. After the war, the Prinz family’s daughter sold the property. A woman named Lippmann took over the business. Behind the building, there was a large wood storage area. There was also a Finnish settlement. Both were destroyed during the war. Today, that area is home to single-family houses.
The Dortmund-Ems Canal was opened in 1899. Today, almost 30 bridges cross it within Münster. But the Hiltruper Prinzbrücke has a particularly colorful past. The arch bridge we see today had two predecessors. Initially, there was a simple bridge. In the 1930s, it was replaced by a larger arch bridge. This bridge also bore the name Prinzbrücke. It was named after the nearby Prinz coffee business and guesthouse.
The Nazi government destroyed 88 percent of all bridges in the West German canal system near the end of the Second World War in 1945. They aimed to cut off transport routes for the advancing Allied troops. Only one bridge in the Hiltrup and Amelsbüren area remained passable. That was the Börgerbrücke. To allow Hiltrupers to continue crossing the canal, a hand-operated ferry was used temporarily.
To quickly replace the destroyed Prinzbrücke after the war, they bought an arch bridge from Duisburg in 1946. It was built in 1907 as the Oberbürgermeister Lehr Brücke. It was part of a 500-meter-long bridge section at the Duisburg inland port. Before the Second World War, it was the busiest bridge section in West Germany. It was heavily damaged during the war and had to be replaced. A usable section of the old bridge remained. This section was not needed for the new construction in Duisburg.
The bridge superstructure was shipped in parts to Hiltrup between 1948 and 1950. It was rebuilt between the main supports at Osttor. It was somewhat narrower and without streetcar tracks unlike in Duisburg. Despite these changes, the bridge still uses the stiff arch girder system developed in 1895. This system uses tie rods. These absorb the lateral thrust and relieve the piers. The bridgeheads and the street railings with the square profiles from the bridge destroyed in the war have been preserved.
Since the opening of the parallel Osttor Bridge in 1982, the Prinzbrücke serves only as a secondary bridge. It mainly functions as a bicycle connection and factory access. The bridge’s demolition has been under discussion since the early 2000s. The reasons for this are its decreasing load-bearing capacity and low height.
So, next time you cross the Prinzbrücke, remember it’s not about princes. It’s about a family. It’s about a community. It’s about a bridge with a story to tell.