Freundschaftsbrücke Klein-/Großblittersdorf, Pedestrian bridge between Kleinblittersdorf, Germany and Grosbliederstroff, France.
The Friendship Bridge is a concrete footbridge spanning about 140 meters across the Saar River between the two towns. It features burgundy-painted railings and forms a pedestrian connection between the two riverbanks.
The first bridge, a stone arch structure with six pillars built by Richard Schmidt of Luisenthal, opened in 1880 and charged a toll. French troops blew it up on 9 September 1939; the Wehrmacht then built a wooden makeshift bridge, destroyed again in 1944. A new bridge followed in 1964, and the present footbridge dates from 1993.
The two villages were once a single Lorraine settlement, Bliederstorff, first documented in 777; the prefixes Groß and Klein appeared at the end of the 16th century and only marked their different population sizes. The bridge's name, Freundschaftsbrücke or Pont de l'amitié, refers to the Franco-German partnership sealed by the Élysée Treaty of 1963.
The 1993 footbridge carries pedestrians only, so the crossing is short and direct between the two banks. The deck is lined with red metal railings and red posts, with dark red lamp posts curving over the walkway. The white A-frame pylon rises above the deck further along the span.
The 1880 stone arch bridge had six piers and a toll, the "Brückenpfennig", collected at booths on both bridgeheads; it opened to pedestrians on 1 October 1880 before any railing was fitted. The present 1993 footbridge has a white A-frame pylon and red railings and lamp posts curving over the deck.
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