Old Bridge Heidelberg

History

It is hard to imagine the city without the Old Bridge of Heidelberg. It is probably less well known under the name Karl-Theodor-Bridge, although this is actually the official name of the baroque sandstone bridge. Since 1788, the bridge has connected the Old Town with the Neuenheim district on the other side of the Neckar. After a blasting in the 2nd world war, the bridge was rebuilt. This interrupted the connection of the Neckar sides through the bridge for about 2 years. Before the destruction the bridge was not destroyed by wars, but even became the scene of war battles twice. Once during the coalition wars after the French Revolution, when French troops tried several times to conquer Heidelberg via the Old Bridge. And a second time during the Baden Revolution in 1848/1849.

At the place where the Karl-Theodor-Bridge has been located for many years now, there were already eight previous bridges. The bridges that stood before it on the spot were made of wood and were destroyed again and again by wars or ice aisles on the Neckar. Therefore, the Elector Karl Theodor ordered the construction of the stone bridge, which stretched from 1786 to 1788. At that time, the bridge was the most expensive building in the Electoral Palatinate after the Mannheim Castle and demanded a special tax from the citizens to make the construction possible.

The large gate with the two white towers is the bridge gate from the Middle Ages, which was once part of Heidelberg’s city wall. Very close to it, on the south-western bridge pier, you can see the flood marks of several years. The arch in front of it rises above the B37 and was specially rebuilt in 1969 to allow a two-lane passage of the street. Due to the reconstruction the arches now give a more harmonious overall picture.

The bridge has a total length of 200 metres and a width of about 7 metres. It is very popular for pictures at the railing of the bridge or with the old bridge gate in the background. Especially on weekends, you will hardly see the bridge without people and cameras on it.

Apartment & Sculptures

What many of the visitors of Heidelberg’s Old Bridge probably do not know is that there is a small apartment in the bridge tower, which was still inhabited until 2004. The western tower was considered a dungeon in the 18th century and the apartment was then the home of the bridge keeper. To rebuild the bridge, after World War II, the architect Rudolf Steinbach moved into the four walls above the Old Bridge. By holding festivities in the tower, he turned the Old Town into a popular meeting place for artists. His next tenants, the writer Gert Kalow and his wife, also continued the tradition of the festivities. Until 2004, the woman, widowed in 1991, stayed in the apartment. Since then, the apartment is no longer inhabited, also out of safety from the collapsing beams. Only a few Heidelberg residents have a key to the apartment.

There are also some monuments on the bridge, the originals of which can be found in the Kurpfälzische Museum. The statues represent the Elector Karl-Theodor, and the Roman goddess Minerva (or the Greek goddess Athena). Also known, is the bridge monkey, today a bronze sculpture, formerly a stone figure. The bronze sculpture on the Old Bridge is so large that you can stick your own head into the monkey’s hollow head.

Location & Directions

The Old Bridge Heidelberg is located above the river Neckar and connects Neuenheim and the Old Town of Heidelberg. If you are on the bridge, you have a beautiful view in all directions. Whether you are looking at the houses on the Neuenheim bank, the houses of the Old Town, or the Heidelberg Castle, on the bridge you have a 360 degree view that could not be more beautiful. An excursion to the bridge should be included in any case in your visit to Heidelberg. From the bridge, you can reach the Philosophers’ Path via the Schlangenweg on the Neuenheim side. On the bank side, near the bridge, there is also the Heidelberg love stone. From the end of the bridge in the Old Town, you can reach the main street (Hauptstraße) in a few steps.

The bridge is easily accessible by public transport on both sides of the river. The Alte Brücke stop is located on the side of the Old Town directly on the B37. On the other side of the Neckar river is the bus stop Alte Brücke Nord. The bridge can be easily reached from Heidelberg Main Station on both sides of the Neckar. Take line 735 in the direction of Eiterbach, you will reach the bridge directly on the side of the Old Town. If you take line 32 in the direction of Universitätsplatz, you have to change at Bismarck to line 35 in the direction of Bildungszentrum. To get to the bus stop in Neuenheim, simply take line 34 in the direction of Ziegelhausen.

If you come by car, it is best to park in one of the multi-storey car parks in the Old Town if you want to explore the bridge by foot. However, there is also the chance to drive over the bridge by car. Monday to Friday from 11-16 o’clock, as well as Saturday from 11-24 o’clock and the whole Sunday the bridge is not passable for cars. Outside these times the bridge is passable for cars. If you drive along the B37 or the Ziegelhäuser Landstraße by car, you can’t miss the bridge either, as it stretches almost picturesquely over the Neckar River. On the B37 one even drives under the Old Bridge.

Impressions