Grünwalder Brücke, Steel arch bridge over Isar River in Munich, Germany
The Grünwalder Brücke is a steel arch bridge with a concrete deck that carries the road between Grünwald and Pullach over the Isar. Its two arches each span 70 metres, but with a rise of only 5.16 metres they are much flatter than those of the 1904 reinforced-concrete bridge. The 12.50-metre-wide deck overhangs the girders by 2.40 metres on each side, and the steel structure rests on three massive concrete piers.
The first bridge, completed in 1904, was the world's largest reinforced-concrete bridge, with two 70 m arches designed by Ludwig Zöllner and engineered by Emil Mörsch. Near the end of World War II, SS units blew up one arch. After repairs, ground movement and salt damage led to its replacement: a 1995 competition was won by Grassl with Schultz-Brauns & Partner, and the steel bridge was built 1998–2001 by Bilfinger Berger and Voest Alpine MCE.
The bridge is named Grünwalder Brücke, officially Grünwalder Isarbrücke, after the municipality of Grünwald on its eastern bank; it links Grünwald with Pullach, two towns south of Munich, not city districts. Its 1904 predecessor was the world's largest reinforced-concrete bridge, with two 70-metre arches.
The deck is 12.50 m wide and overhangs the girders by 2.40 m on each side, so walkers and cyclists cross beside the roadway. The steel structure rests fixed on the central pier and on movable bearings at the outer piers. The bridge links Grünwald and Pullach, both south of Munich, not city districts.
The 1904 bridge was the world's largest reinforced-concrete bridge when completed, with two 70 m arches designed by Ludwig Zöllner and engineered by Emil Mörsch, then barely 30. SS units blew up one arch shortly before the end of World War II. The 1998–2001 replacement keeps two 70 m arches but flatter, with a 5.16 m rise.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,784 contributors worldwide.