The Goeltzschtal Bridge (or Goeltzschtalbrucke, to give it its true name) has been photographed hundreds of thousands of times across the decades. This remarkable construction standing in the Vogtland region of Germany is 574 m long, with four tiers of arches stacking to 78 m high, making the Goeltzschtalbrucke the world’s largest bridge built of bricks.
A true masterpiece of engineering, the Goeltzschtal Bridge was built in the mid 1800s, when the age of the railway was at its most pioneering. The best route for the new railway link between Leipzig and Nuremberg meant that two bridges needed to be built, one of which must span the Goltzsch Valley (the other being the Elster Valley).
In January 1845 the railway company launched a competition, inviting designs for a bridge to cross the Goeltz Valley. Although more than eighty submissions were received, none of them met the specified requirements. The result was that one of the competition’s eminent panel of judges, Prof. Johann Schubert, actually proposed the successful design.
As there were insufficient local supplies of natural materials, such as sandstone or granite, it was decided that bricks be used. Bricks were also seen as a less expensive alternative, which was a significant factor, given that the bridge’s construction involved 26 million of them.
Professor Schubert’s design proposed an impressively tall viaduct comprising four levels, each with individual arches of even proportions. A year after his plan was accepted, the foundation stone was laid.
Difficulties occurred early on in the bridge’s construction. When excavations got underway for the pillar that was to act as a central support, engineers discovered that the soil was unable to take its weight. The construction plans therefore had to be amended, meaning that, instead of having identical arches, the bridge had two large openings, with each arch spanning 31 metres.
Thousands of builders worked on creating the Goeltzschtal Bridge and, as was sadly so often the case with constructions around this era, accidents were a regular occurrence. Over 1300 men were injured and 31 lost their lives.
The Goeltzschtal Bridge was officially opened on 15 July 1851 and formally handed over to the railway company who had commissioned its design. The Elstertal Bridge, often referred to as its little sister, is the second largest of its kind, containing 12 million bricks.
More than 150 years after its construction, the Goeltzschtal Bridge continues to carry the railway and its 81 arches are still captured by many an awe-inspired photographer.