In the early days of Berlin the city actually consisted of the two independent towns Berlin and Cölln (see also [P.1]). While Berlin was located east of the river Spree, Cölln was located on an island which was flowed round by the main river and one of its branches.
The 'Lange Brücke'
The first bridge connection of the two settlements was the 'Mühlendamm' (German for 'Mill Dam' about which I plan to write a post in the future). Berlin´s and Cölln´s second bridge was the so-called 'Lange Brücke' (which equals 'Long Bridge' in English). It probably was erected when Berlin and Cölln decided to unite but no later than around 1307. Its name literally related to its length. Back then the river Spree was partly much wider and so for today´s visitors it would be hard to believe that this location once suggested such a name for a river crossing. Being built not only for connecting the town´s districts also the new town hall was erected on it. In order to protect this building the bridge could be closed by gates at its entrances.
The first Lange Brücke was made of wood and for ships it was not possible to pass. In 1660 it was replaced by a better wood construction based on the model of Dutch bridges. The area around the bridge was probably pretty dirty because of the local people using it not only for trading but also as a toilet making the regents dissapointed about that situation.
The first stone bridge at this place
It was built from 1692 to 1695 by Johann Arnold Nehring and the French engineer Jean Louis Cayart . There are sources which say it was one of the most beautiful artworks of its time. It consisted of five vaults and its construction material was red sandstone from the quarries of the town of Pirna. It became richly decorated: The stone balustrades on each side of the bridge carried six sculptures each. They symbolised figures of Roman mythology. Other decorations symbolised the rivers of Brandenburg, Havel, Dahme, Nuthe and Spree as well as Portraits of the regent and his family. Anyway the most remarkable statue was the one on a podest on the widened vault in the middle of the bridge designed by famous sculptor and architect Andreas Schlüter (*1659 or 1660, +1714) showing Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg,
the so-called 'Great elector' [P.2] riding on a horse while looking out to the city palace with a fierce look. This work is made out of bronze and was cast by Johann Jacobi being a brass founder and working for Schlüter. The casting was done in one piece, a technique Jacobi had learned when he had worked in Paris. The statue was presented to the public on the bridge in the year 1703.
In 1706 four slaves to the horse's feet were added, symbolising conquered lands and as a reminiscence to the back then flourishing Prussian slave trade.
The builder of the bridge and initiator of the equestrian statue was Friedrich III. the 'Great Elector´s' son: This regent wanted to compete with other European aristocratic dynasties and was influenced by French king Louis XIV. His employee Schlüter originally presented him a more comprehensive planning which included a representative square with Palace, new dome and the nobility's stables with the bridge linking the palace to Berlin´s town centre but it was not realised due to the higher costs.
In 1818 Karl Friedrich Schinkel renewed the bridge [P.3]: It was widened in order to handle the higher traffic and the stone balustrades were replaced by iron railings. Actually Schinkel wanted to conserve the balustrades' stone statues but it turned out to be too expensive. During the demolishing and construction works the equestrian statue was moved by a complicated railing system to another place and after that was moved onto the changed bridge again.
The 'Lange Brücke'
The first bridge connection of the two settlements was the 'Mühlendamm' (German for 'Mill Dam' about which I plan to write a post in the future). Berlin´s and Cölln´s second bridge was the so-called 'Lange Brücke' (which equals 'Long Bridge' in English). It probably was erected when Berlin and Cölln decided to unite but no later than around 1307. Its name literally related to its length. Back then the river Spree was partly much wider and so for today´s visitors it would be hard to believe that this location once suggested such a name for a river crossing. Being built not only for connecting the town´s districts also the new town hall was erected on it. In order to protect this building the bridge could be closed by gates at its entrances.
The first Lange Brücke was made of wood and for ships it was not possible to pass. In 1660 it was replaced by a better wood construction based on the model of Dutch bridges. The area around the bridge was probably pretty dirty because of the local people using it not only for trading but also as a toilet making the regents dissapointed about that situation.
 | ||
| [P.1] Berlin (red) and Cölln (yellow) in the year 1688: The Lange Brücke is situated relatively in the middle and marked by the letter q. The City Palace is marked by the letter a. Attribution: By J. M. F. Schmidt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
It was built from 1692 to 1695 by Johann Arnold Nehring and the French engineer Jean Louis Cayart . There are sources which say it was one of the most beautiful artworks of its time. It consisted of five vaults and its construction material was red sandstone from the quarries of the town of Pirna. It became richly decorated: The stone balustrades on each side of the bridge carried six sculptures each. They symbolised figures of Roman mythology. Other decorations symbolised the rivers of Brandenburg, Havel, Dahme, Nuthe and Spree as well as Portraits of the regent and his family. Anyway the most remarkable statue was the one on a podest on the widened vault in the middle of the bridge designed by famous sculptor and architect Andreas Schlüter (*1659 or 1660, +1714) showing Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg,
the so-called 'Great elector' [P.2] riding on a horse while looking out to the city palace with a fierce look. This work is made out of bronze and was cast by Johann Jacobi being a brass founder and working for Schlüter. The casting was done in one piece, a technique Jacobi had learned when he had worked in Paris. The statue was presented to the public on the bridge in the year 1703.
In 1706 four slaves to the horse's feet were added, symbolising conquered lands and as a reminiscence to the back then flourishing Prussian slave trade.
The builder of the bridge and initiator of the equestrian statue was Friedrich III. the 'Great Elector´s' son: This regent wanted to compete with other European aristocratic dynasties and was influenced by French king Louis XIV. His employee Schlüter originally presented him a more comprehensive planning which included a representative square with Palace, new dome and the nobility's stables with the bridge linking the palace to Berlin´s town centre but it was not realised due to the higher costs.
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [P.2] Original title: Berlin, memorial of the elector Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg Scherl: Berlin 1938 Designed by Schlüter the monument to the Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg (1964-88) is located on the 'Elector Bridge' ('Town Hall Bridge'); in the background the waterfront facade of the royal stables is visible. Photographer unknown Attribution: Bundesarchiv (Federal Archive of Germany), Bild 183-1987-0616-503 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons |
 |
| [P.3] View on the Kurfüsternbrücke and the Castle, date y Maximilian Roch (1793-nach 1862) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
The second stone bridge
In 1893 the 'Lange Brücke' from 1695 was completely replaced be by a new one. It was renamed to Kurfürstenbrücke ('Electors Bridge) and now consisted of only three vaults which made the passage of ships possible. The construction was made out of sandstone.
The Electors Bridge was destroyed during the 2nd World War. Anyway Schlüter´s statue was saved before bombs and grenades would probably have destroyed it. The Nazis removed it in 1943. While transporting it over the Lake Tegel (Tegeler See) it sunk into the lake and kept disappeared for years. Sometime later after the war it was rediscovered and placed in front of the Schloss Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg palace) in West Berlin.
New bridge constructions in Socialist times
After 1945 the centre of Berlin and with it the bridge was situated in the Soviet occupation zone. The Soviet Army replaced its remainings with a temporary bridge. Later in the times of GDR (German Democratic Republic, the socialist German satellite state of the Soviet Union) the temporary bridge was rebuilt in the course of the nearby erection of the so-called 'Palast der Republik' (equals 'Palace of the Republic'). The river at this location was narrowed to eight meters width.
The bridge of today
It is the result of a competition from 1999. It was won by German architect Walter A. Noebel (*1953 - +2012). His design approach is rather clear and minimalistic. The vault-less relatively thin steel plate of the roadway and the two pedestrian ways spans from one side to the other, passing two newly built lantern posts on each side. In opposite to the roadway those and the buttresses below the bearings of the bridge are clad in natural stone. The only contrasting details are the railing posts which literally imitate wood branches, a work of the Swiss artist Erik Steinbrecher.
The
decision not to reconstruct the old 'Kurfürsten Bridge' and not to bring back the statue of the 'Great Elector' from the
Charlottenburg Palace to its original location on the Town Hall Bridge
caused protests by several organisations which would like to reconstruct
the original bridge respectively parts of it. Anyway they didn´t
succeed relating that matter. Now the modern bridge stands and no
reminiscences to its predecessors were made.
In my opinion the decision not to bring back the statue was right: After all it represented an emperor having slaves at his feet and being involved in the slave trade of his times: These facts make it impossible for me to vote for the idea of reconstruction at this place. Last but not least the Nazis seemed to adore this statue even so much that they didn´t melt it for arms production as they did with many of Berlin´s public artworks made out of metal. A comeback for a monument being symbol of absolutist reign and slavetrade at such a place as the location next to the rebuilt Berlin City Palace, now lying in the centre of reunited democratic Germany would be a wrong signal of urban planning. Although a contemporary design of the bridge was the right decision there could have been more reminiscences and hints to the past of this site which was so important for Berlin during centuries.
In 1893 the 'Lange Brücke' from 1695 was completely replaced be by a new one. It was renamed to Kurfürstenbrücke ('Electors Bridge) and now consisted of only three vaults which made the passage of ships possible. The construction was made out of sandstone.
.jpg) |
| [P.4] Kurfürstenbrücke ('Electors bridge'), date 1896, Hermann Rückwardt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
New bridge constructions in Socialist times
After 1945 the centre of Berlin and with it the bridge was situated in the Soviet occupation zone. The Soviet Army replaced its remainings with a temporary bridge. Later in the times of GDR (German Democratic Republic, the socialist German satellite state of the Soviet Union) the temporary bridge was rebuilt in the course of the nearby erection of the so-called 'Palast der Republik' (equals 'Palace of the Republic'). The river at this location was narrowed to eight meters width.
The bridge of today
It is the result of a competition from 1999. It was won by German architect Walter A. Noebel (*1953 - +2012). His design approach is rather clear and minimalistic. The vault-less relatively thin steel plate of the roadway and the two pedestrian ways spans from one side to the other, passing two newly built lantern posts on each side. In opposite to the roadway those and the buttresses below the bearings of the bridge are clad in natural stone. The only contrasting details are the railing posts which literally imitate wood branches, a work of the Swiss artist Erik Steinbrecher.
 |
| [P.5] The bridge of today, design by Walter A. Noebel, own photo |
