Moltkebrücke, Road bridge in Mitte district, Germany
Moltke Bridge is a road bridge in Mitte that crosses the Spree River, connecting Alt-Moabit with Willy-Brandt-Strasse. The structure is made of red Main sandstone and features three crossed arches, measuring approximately 78 meters long and 27 meters wide.
The bridge opened in 1891, timed with the funeral of Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke. During the 1945 Battle of Berlin, it was a contested crossing point that Soviet forces captured despite German attempts to destroy it with explosives.
The stone ornamentation includes statues by Johannes Boese, Carl Piper and Carl Begas, set on pedestals above the piers and along the balustrade. Look for the carved reliefs on the pier faces and the finials on top; the bridge is a protected monument in Berlin. The name honours Helmuth von Moltke, Prussian chief of staff from 1857 to 1888, whose headquarters stood beside the bridge.
The bridge connects the main railway station and Alt-Moabit with the Federal Chancellery area and is easily accessible on foot. You can best explore it from either bank of the river or while walking across the street.
On 28 April 1945 Soviet troops of the 3rd Shock Army stormed the bridge at dusk; the charges went off and a section fell into the Spree, yet enough of the structure stood for men and vehicles to cross. By midnight the 150th and 171st rifle divisions held the bridgehead, 600 metres from the Reichstag.
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