Müngsten Bridge
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The Müngsten Bridge is the highest steel railroad bridge in Germany. The bridge is 107 metres (350 ft) high and spans over the valley of the river Wupper, connecting the cities Remscheid and Solingen. This stretch is part of railroad route nr. 458 between Wuppertal and Solingen, used exclusive by line RB 47, aka "the Muengstener". Originally the building was named Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke (emperor Wilhelm bridge), to honour emperor Wilhelm I. After the end of the monarchy the bridge was named after the close settlement Müngsten, which is close to the city limits of Solingen, Remscheid and Wuppertal. Today, the settlement does not exist any longer, so Müngsten is merely a landmark.
[edit] History
The preparing works began in 1893, the bridge was finished in 1897.
First drafts for an elbow bridge here between the two cities go back to the year 1889. The stand columns (six pieces) have a maximum height of 69 metres (230 ft). The central opening of the building of over, which spans the low, has a middle span of 170 metres (560 ft). The overall length of the iron construction amounts to 465 metres (1,530 ft). Altogether 5,000 tonnes (4,900 LT/5,500 ST) of steel sections were blocked and 950,000 rivets were struck. The main elbow of the bridge was established for the first time in the procedure of the "free porch". Thus it is meant that the two elbow halves without further stands up to the bogenschluss and to a certain extent even the crane for the further assembly were finished delivered. The procedure is characterised by a small expenditure with the production, the static computation of all loads is however aufwaendig. The elbow is three-way statically indefinitely stored, which likewise brings a substantial material saving with itself. The expenditure for material and supplies is lower than with also here the statically determined elbow with three joints, however the elbow is loaded additionally through in the building remaining thermal expansions. Thus the Muengstener bridge differs from the optically very similar Garabit viaduct in the Auvergne in France. Engineer Anton of Rieppel (* 1852? 31. January 1926) was chairman of the board of engine works Augsburg Nuernberg AG (M.A.N). Its name is registered on the gedenktafel, those on operation of the VDI and the M.A.N. at the foot of the bridge one established. At first the bridge was planned as single-railed railroad line, but the royal railway management at that time Elberfeld estimated traffic which can be expected between rem-separates and Solingen so highly in that planning was amended to two tracks. 1890 already approved the Prussian federal state parliament the necessary building sum of five million Marks. The luftlinienentfernung between both cities amounts to 8 kilometres (5.0 mi), before the building of the Muengstener bridge however amounted the distance on the rail to 42 kilometres (26 mi). The first cut of the spade took place on 26 February 1894. In order to create the building materials near, the tracks were already shifted by both cities up to the building site. Altogether 1,400 kilograms (3,100 lb) dynamite and 1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb) of black powders were needed, in order to implement the necessary breakups. The completion of the carcass (bridge conclusion) fell on 21 March 1897; on the day following on it during the arranging celebration the last rivet set of approximately 950,000 on the building site was struck. The official inauguration celebration of the bridge took place on 15 July 1897. Emperor Wilhelm II. came however to this meeting not personally, but sent as envoy and his representative prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia. It visited the bridge only two years later, on 12 August 1899, that a gedenktafel under the bridge reminds still today.
[edit] Myths, legends and anecdotes
The building of the bridge represented a master achievement, which in its highly sophisticated construction and realization in the strong contrast to the experience world of the majority of the being astonished population to the turn of the century. Fast myths and legends in connection with the building, which into the today's days in numerous heads as "true stories" (see also Urban Legends, developed) to have kept. These legends is those of the golden rivet, which was struck allegedly as last. A further myth is the alleged false computation of the bridge by the building master Anton of Rieppel and their alleged consequences. While the myth speaks of the fact that one half of the bridge built at the same time from both sides had to be torn off again, since they did not fit in the center, speaks the other legend of the fact that from Rieppel with recalculations falsely stated that the halves could not be joined and from shame over it by the incomplete bridge into death fell themselves. Both legends are as can be prove wrong, however until today are kolportiert. All computations were as can be prove the construction designs and computations from the outset perfectly correct and Anton of Rieppels life ended 30 years after regular completion of the bridge after serious illness. Although the bridge emperor William bridge was baptized, emperor Wilhelm II. did not come to the solemn inauguration. Rumours to the consequence it boycotted the ceremony from detuning over the fact that the bridge was designated not to its, but in honours of the hundredth birthday of its grandfather of William I.. The bridge was and is point of attraction for persons with suicidal intentions. Innumerable humans jumped from the bridge so far into death. On the occasion of the 100-jaehrigen of existence of the bridge the packing artist Christo was asked by a Remscheider citizen during his stay in Bonn for the presentation of veiling citizen of Berlin realm tags to disguise the bridge with rostfarbenem cloth. It did not reject however with the reason, it makes a thing twice. It veiled the Pont Neuf in Paris. Also to objection that it with the Pont Neuf around a stone bridge in a city, with which Muengstener bridge acts in the middle however around a steel bridge in the country it reacted itself rejecting. It stands however to assume that the construction would not have withstood the bridge of a veiling due to that additionally to expecting wind loads.
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