Bahnhofsbrücke Warnemünde, Steel and oak footbridge in Warnemünde, Germany.
The Bahnhofsbrücke is a footbridge made of steel and oak wood that carries pedestrians across the Alter Strom waterway in this seaside resort town. The structure measures about 42 meters long and just over 7 meters wide, featuring a central pivot mechanism that once allowed vessels to pass underneath.
The bridge was completed in 1903 as a swing bridge over the Alter Strom, financed by the city of Rostock to link the expanded ferry station on the Mittelmole with the town centre. It could be rotated for passing ships until 1940, when bearing damage stopped the mechanism. A full reconstruction in 1991 restored the turning function; on 7 August 2000 a passenger ship with a technical fault rammed the bridge and destroyed the king pin, its central pivot. Repairs in 2004/2005 installed a new cast-iron king pin.
Locals call the bridge the "Liebesbrücke" (love bridge), and street musicians and small performers often play on its oak planks. Once a year, during the "Warnemünder Stromerwachen", the pivot mechanism is set in motion again as a small spectacle watched by residents and guests.
The bridge connects the railway station to the town center and is used regularly by pedestrians, especially during warmer months. Access is straightforward and open at all times, making it easy for visitors to cross without any special arrangements.
The structure weighs around 80 tons and was originally operated by hand to rotate and allow ships through. This manual operation makes it a rare surviving example of an early 20th-century rotating bridge of its kind.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,354 contributors worldwide.
