Elbebrücke Dömitz, Steel arch road bridge in Dömitz, Germany
The Elbebrücke Dömitz is a 970 m road bridge over the Elbe west of Dömitz, carrying the B191 on two lanes. Its main span is a steel tied-arch bridge with a 178 m span; the parabolic arches lean 11° from vertical and rise 27 m, suspended by hangers spaced 11.28 m apart. The approach viaducts are prestressed concrete with a single-cell box girder and a 15.85 m wide deck.
The current bridge was completed in 1992, replacing a 1936 structure that was Germany's first fully welded bridge of its type. That earlier crossing was destroyed in 1945, and the river remained without a fixed road link here for decades.
The bridge links Dömitz and Gusborn, two communities separated by the river, and many locals cross it as part of their daily routine. From the road, the view over the floodplains on both sides of the Elbe gives a sense of how open and flat this part of northern Germany is.
The bridge is part of the B191 between Celle and Ludwigslust and is the only road crossing over the Elbe in the 115 km stretch between Wittenberge and Lauenburg. It carries two lanes plus footpaths, with 8 m of clearance for shipping at the highest navigable water level. A memorial plaque unveiled on 3 October 2010 stands at the bridge.
The 1936 bridge's main girders in one section were welded, the first welded construction of its kind in Germany, while the rest was riveted. The 1991-92 replacement reused the same 19-field layout and axis, but its steel arch over the Elbe spans 178 m with parabolic ribs inclined 11° from vertical and a crown height of 27 m.
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