Nijmegen railway bridge

Construction started in 1875, on the site of an ancient Roman bridge, and was completed 4 years later in 1879. It originally consisted of three truss arches. The southern land abutment, styled as a medieval city gate, was designed by Dutch architect P.J.H Cuypers. These twin tower structures, one each side of the track, were to protect the entrance to the city of Nijmegen and delay any enemy advance to give time to demolish the bridge. The railway bridge's construction enabled train connections to Arnhem, thus Nijmegen was the last major city in the Netherlands to be connected to the national rail network. ==Second World War==

The middle arch of the bridge was destroyed twice during the Second World War, but despite this it survived the conflict. The first demolition was initiated on 10 May 1940 by the Dutch themselves when the Wehrmacht approached. The Germans repaired the bridge, and it was back in service by 17 November 1940. The Germans modified the abutments by removing the top floor of each tower, strengthening the flat roofs and mounting anti-aircraft guns. Despite the efforts of the Americans, frogmen from the German Marine Einsatzkommando were able to demolish the bridge again on 28 September 1944. ==Reconstruction==

To facilitate passage by larger ships, the bridge was reconstructed in 1983, still in the truss style but with only one wider arch. The bridge was also raised by one metre. , The Snelbinder and the Nijmegen railway bridge ==Literature evocation==

In the short story of J.H.F. Grönloh (Nescio) "De uitvreter", the main character commits suicide by stepping from the bridge. ==References==