Waldschlösschen Bridge, Road and arch bridge in Dresden, Germany
Waldschlösschen Bridge is a road and arch structure in Dresden that crosses the Elbe River with a total span of 636 meters and steel arches rising 26 meters above the water. The main span measures 148 meters, while the roadway itself extends 29 meters in width.
Construction began after decades of debate and caused UNESCO to remove the Dresden Elbe Valley from its World Heritage list in 2009. The opening took place in August 2013, ending one of the most debated infrastructure decisions in postwar German history.
The bridge is named after the Waldschlösschen, a summer residence on the edge of the Dresdner Heide that the Saxon minister Camillo Count Marcolini had built on his estate. The surrounding quarter is now known as the Waldschlösschenareal, a residential and restaurant district on the northern bank.
The crossing includes four vehicle lanes along with separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians on both sides. This layout allows safe passage between the districts on either side of the river.
The bridge's width was reduced by one metre in a concession to UNESCO, but city spokesman Kai Schulz admitted weeks after the delisting that this change had been ruled out months earlier. The original whip lights between the cycle path and car lane could still be retrofitted if the handrail lighting proves inadequate.
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