In 1669, the
Elector Charles Louis built a floating bridge, which consisted of a platform secured to two barges anchored in the Rhine. In 1705 this bridge was replaced by a
pontoon bridge that had to be rebuilt as a result of flood damage. The combined road and rail bridge was built between 1865 and 1868. Impressive portal buildings, designed by the
Karlsruhe architect Josef Durm, were built at the ends of the bridge. A sculpture of Minerva with industry and trade made by Karl Friedrich Moest was erected on the railway bridge. The bridges themselves were built as steel trusses. Their total length was about 270 metres, the railway bridge was 7.5 metres wide and the road bridge was 6.5 metres wide. On each side there was a footpath. At the end of
World War II on 20 March 1945 the bridge was blown up by the German army. After the war, temporary bridges were built over the Rhine River connecting the railway in July 1946 and for the road in December 1948.
Konrad Adenauer Bridge The road bridge was rebuilt between 1956 and 1959 and opened on 24 October 1959 under the name "Rhine Bridge". It was named the
Konrad Adenauer Bridge in 1967. A separate S-Bahn bridge was built directly next to the railway bridge between 1997 and 1999. It is an arch bridge. ==Specifications ==