Stephanibrücke, Road bridge between Mitte and Neustadt districts in Bremen, Germany.
The Stephanibrücke is a road bridge spanning the Weser River that connects the Mitte and Neustadt districts of Bremen. It features separate lanes for vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians, with public transport stops accessible at both ends.
A steel bridge was built from 1936 to 1939 as the Westbrücke and inaugurated in 1939 as the Adolf-Hitler-Brücke. Destroyed on 30 March 1945, it was rebuilt on the surviving concrete piers and reopened on 31 December 1947 as the Stephanibrücke. In the 1960s it was replaced and widened: the western half was completed in 1965, the eastern half in 1967.
The bridge takes its name from the adjacent old Stephaniviertel quarter and the nearby St. Stephen's Church, which it was named after when the rebuilt crossing opened on 31 December 1947. The pre-war tram track was not rebuilt; line 15 ended just before the bridge on the Neustadt side and was withdrawn to Neustadtsbahnhof in 1950 for lack of passengers.
The bridge has dedicated, secure areas for pedestrians and cyclists, making crossing straightforward from any direction. Both ends are easily accessible and connect directly to nearby public transport stops.
Seen from the Weser estuary, the Stephanibrücke is the first road bridge across the river; north of it there are only ferries, apart from the Weser tunnel. Its cycle and footpaths sit on a lower level outside the roadway.
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