Kerkbrug, drawbridge in Ouder-Amstel, Netherlands

Kerkbrug is a wooden double-beam drawbridge over the Bullewijk river in the village center. It connects the old street near the church with the open polder land on the opposite bank, carrying both pedestrians and local vehicles.

A dam stood at this spot from the early 1500s until 1649, when it was removed and replaced with the present wooden bridge. A postwar army truck damaged the upper part in 1946, which led to a change in its shape while keeping the centuries-old crossing point.

Local residents still call it the Korte Brug, or short bridge, to distinguish it from a longer one that used to cross the Amstel nearby and now sits in an open-air museum. The name Kerkbrug comes from the old church a few steps away, and the bridge remains a quiet meeting point in the village.

Walking across gives a clear view of the water and the low houses along the bank, and the bridge feels solid underfoot despite its age. It is best reached on foot or by bike from the village center, where the surrounding roads are fairly narrow.

The bridge is still opened by hand using a large wooden wheel, a method that has survived long after most such crossings became mechanical. Boaters can reach the bridge keeper through an intercom to ask for an opening, making each passage feel like a small local ritual.