The Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge (German: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke or "Emperor William Bridge") is a swing bridge in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, and the town's landmark.
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The Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge connects the beach (Südstrandpromenade) with the South Quarter.
Construction began in 1905, and at its completion in 1907 it was Europe's biggest swing bridge. The design scheme was created by Ernst Troschel, construction was executed by MAN Nuremberg.
In 2003 the rotary mechanics of the southern part of the bridge were damaged when a tugboat collided with a frigate and had to be partially repaired.
It is currently closed to the public for repairs.
The bridge has a length of 159 m and a width of 8 m. The two pillars are 20.4 m tall. The maximum passage height is 9,00 m at + 1.10 m medium water-level in the harbour, the passage width is 58.60 m.
On the bridge the road traffic can only drive one way at the same time. It is controlled by traffic lights. Before it tilts out the bridge is blocked for the whole traffic by light signals and pikes.
In 2007, Deutsche Post released a 1.45 euro stamp to commemorate the centennial of the bridge.
This article was translated from the German Wikipedia on December 15, 2006