The railway bridge in Wesel was the last connection across the Rhine at the end of the Second World War.

Until it was blown up by the Wehrmacht in March 1945 in order to delay the advance of the Allies - ultimately in vain. Until then, it had been part of one of the most important transport routes in Central Europe for a good 70 years.

History of the bridge

The railway bridge was opened in December 1874 after a good 3.5 years of construction. The construction of a Rhine crossing was required on the section between Venlo and Haltern for the planned long-distance connection between Paris and Hamburg.

After initially difficult political negotiations with the Prussian military administration regarding the location in Wesel, the Cöln-Mindener-Railway Company as the builder was finally able to set several superlatives with the structure, which was more than imposing at the time: for almost 40 years until 1913, it was the longest railway bridge in Germany with a total length of 1,950 metres. The construction costs of 6 million marks also made it the most expensive building project of the operating company. 2.5 million bricks were used as well as 2,500 tonnes of wrought iron and 36 tonnes of cast steel. There were 65 viaduct-like flood bridges on the Büderich-side (left bank) and another 38 arches on the Wesel side.

Due to the high usage costs, it was particularly important for long-distance transport, including the "Boxteler Railway", which connected London with St. Petersburg in its heyday at the end of the 19th century until the outbreak of the First World War, and took travellers across the Rhine in Wesel.

Present Day

Today, the remains on the left bank of the Rhine lie in the middle of a nature reserve and numerous cycle routes lead directly past the famous landmark. The old viaducts are now also protected as architectural monuments. Last but not least, they are a very popular photo motif in the middle of the Lower Rhine landscape.

The relics of the old bridge on the right bank of the Rhine are located directly on Wesel's Rhine promenade. In particular, the striking bridgehead directly on the Rhine, on which there is a viewing platform, is now a great place to experience the wide panorama of the river landscape at any time of year.  You also have the best view of the remains on the opposite bank from here!