Viadukt Arnsberg, Railway arch bridge in Arnsberg, Germany.
Viadukt Arnsberg is a stone railway bridge with seven arches crossing the Ruhr valley near Arnsberg. It sits northwest of the city center and still carries regular train traffic today.
The bridge was built in 1868 to connect the stations of Arnsberg and Neheim-Husten as part of the regional rail network. It suffered severe damage during World War II and was later rebuilt, with parts of the original stone structure kept in place.
The viaduct is known locally as the Arnsberger Viadukt, and more rarely as the Schlossbergviadukt after the hill and tunnel it adjoins. Its seven masonry arches, six of 12.5 m span and one of 7.5 m, have carried the Obere Ruhrtalbahn since 1868. The line served as a diversionary route when the main Hamm lines were disrupted.
The viaduct is easy to spot from several points along the Ruhr valley and can be seen from both riverbanks. Daytime visits give you the clearest view of the stone arches and their proportions.
The final reconstruction took three years and involved up to 500 workers; from spring 1948 the viaduct was again double-tracked. The 19 March 1945 raid that broke it used six Grand Slam and twelve Tallboy bombs, and the craters around the bridge measured 37 m across and over 11 m deep.
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