Philadelphiabrücke, Prestressed concrete bridge in Meidling district, Vienna, Austria.
Philadelphiabrücke is a prestressed concrete bridge in the Meidling district that crosses the Southern Railway line. It connects Meidlinger Hauptstrasse with Breitenfurter Strasse at Schedifkaplatz and spans approximately 41 meters.
A stone bridge with four arches opened here in 1841, built to carry the Liesinger Weg over the newly cut Southern Railway line. It was replaced in 1863 by an iron structure set at right angles to the tracks, and again in 1910 by a bridge that carried tram tracks. The 1910 bridge was badly damaged in the Second World War, restored, then closed to all vehicles in 1975 as unsafe; its successor opened in 1978.
The bridge takes its name from a steam locomotive manufactured in Philadelphia in 1838 that once operated at this location. This name reflects early industrial connections between Austria and America during the railway era.
The structure serves as a key transportation hub and can be reached by several tram and bus lines. Pedestrians and cyclists can use the bridge to cross both sides of the railway line.
The name comes from a steam locomotive ordered in Philadelphia and delivered to Meidling in summer 1838; a 1:5 scale replica is kept in Vienna's Technical Museum. Local inns on Meidlinger Hauptstraße and at Wilhelmstraße/Eichenstraße later carried the name, which passed unofficially to the bridge and was officially recorded by the city around 1890–1892.
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