Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Brücke in Passau, Railway bridge in Passau, Germany.
The Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Brücke is a 201-metre railway bridge over the Inn in Passau, carrying the Wels–Passau line. Its main span is a green steel truss with a curved upper chord and a lattice of diagonals and verticals; the deck rests on two masonry piers, the right one topped by a brick column. A 96-metre temporary K-truss span, installed after 1945, remains in use.
The bridge was built in 1861 to connect the Wels-Passau railway line across the Inn. It suffered major damage in 1945 and was subsequently rebuilt, with its current appearance shaped by this reconstruction process.
The bridge carries the name of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, honoring her historical visits to the city. This naming reflects the historical connection between Bavaria and the Austrian empire during the 1800s.
The bridge carries active train traffic daily and is not open to public foot traffic due to safety regulations. Visitors can best view and photograph it from nearby riverside paths or designated viewpoint areas along the embankments.
The surviving tower on the right bank is a stone pier topped by a small castle-like turret, visible in views from the river. The other three towers, modelled on large Rhine bridges, were blown up during the post-1945 reconstruction. The 96-metre lattice span now carrying trains was built as a temporary bridge and has remained in service ever since.
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