Sechsbogenbrücke, Railway bridge in Weimar, Germany

The Sechsbogenbrücke, also called Ilmviadukt, is a six-arched railway bridge carrying the Weimar–Gera line over the Ilm and the Ilmtal cycle path at Webicht, between Weimar and Tiefurt. It is 155 m long and rises 37.5 m above the river bed; the two central arches span 21 m, the flanking ones 16 m. The piers are rubble limestone from the surroundings faced with Freyburg travertine and Nebra sandstone courses.

Construction of the viaduct for the roughly 60 km Weimar–Jena–Gera line began in 1873, planned to take two years. Cloudbursts shortly before completion softened the subsoil, causing partial collapses, so the bridge was only inaugurated on 29 June 1876. The line linked Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Meiningen and the Principality of Reuss younger line.

Locals call it the Sechsbogenbrücke, the Six-Arch Bridge, after its six vaults. The stone structure is listed as a Kulturdenkmal of Weimar and is crossed by the Ilmtal cycle path, which runs beneath the arches along the Ilm between Weimar and Tiefurt.

The structure is accessible through local hiking trails in the Webicht forest and offers good viewing points. It is best visited on foot to appreciate the architecture from different angles.

The bridge foundations feature massive stepped supports at both ends to distribute the weight of the structure and trains. These special support structures are a detail that many visitors overlook at first glance.