Brückenanlage zwischen Altem und Neuem Hafen, Bridge complex between ports in Bremerhaven, Germany

The Brückenanlage zwischen Altem und Neuem Hafen spans a 12.5-metre-wide, 8-metre-deep connecting canal dug between 1925 and 1927, jokingly called the Panama Canal. Two roll-bascule bridges cross it: a narrow 4.75-metre railway bridge, 17.55 metres long, and a wider 8.5-metre road bridge, 15.80 metres long. A four-storey brick machine-house tower holds the control room above the motors.

The lock from the Geeste into the Old Harbor was filled in 1933, so between 1925 and 1927 a connecting canal 12.5 m wide and 8 m deep was dug between the Old and New Harbors, jokingly called the Panama Canal. Two bascule bridges were built at the same time where H.-H.-Meier-Straße (formerly Keilstraße) crosses, and the complex officially opened in early 1928. It has been a protected monument since 1992.

Locals nicknamed the 12.5-metre-wide, 8-metre-deep link canal dug between 1925 and 1927 the "Panama Canal". The ensemble keeps its original 1920s machinery, and the State Office for Monument Preservation Bremen calls it an outstanding testimony to harbour, traffic and bridge-building technology. The four-storey brick machine tower still holds the control room overlooking both bridges.

The bridges have a clearance height of 5.51 meters (18 feet) and can be operated manually during power outages through a special drive system. Access is always available, and visitors can view the technical installations from outside.

Three small machine houses at each end house electric motors and an ingenious backup system that can be operated by hand without power. This emergency system demonstrates the reliability of an engineering solution that is over 100 years old.