Three Countries Bridge, Steel footbridge at France-Germany border near Basel, Switzerland.
The Three Countries Bridge is a steel footbridge spanning 248 meters across the Rhine River, connecting Weil am Rhein in Germany with the French commune of Huningue. The structure features an arched steel framework that rises about 25 meters above the water surface.
A crossing existed here since the Huningue fortress; it was destroyed by French troops in 1797. The later pontoon bridge was hit by Allied incendiary bombs on 20 October 1944, and a car ferry ran until the Palmrain Bridge opened in 1979. The current bridge, designed by Dietmar Feichtinger, opened on 30 March 2007.
The bridge marks a place where three nations meet, and you can feel in daily life how close these neighbors are. People from Germany, France, and Switzerland encounter each other here while walking or cycling.
The structure is easily reached on foot or by bicycle from both sides, with parking available in Weil am Rhein and on the French side as well. There are no special restrictions and crossing is possible at any time.
The bridge's cross-section is asymmetric: on the upstream side a hexagonal sheet-steel box, downstream two further boxes, the first more inclined inward and the latter two carrying most of the load. It used 1,012 tonnes of steel, 1,798 cubic metres of concrete and 805 metres of cable.
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