The first bridge to be built on the site of the current Reichsbrücke was constructed in 1872–1876 under the name
Kronprinz-Rudolph-Brücke (
Crown Prince Rudolf Bridge), before the regulation of the Danube in Vienna. A
truss of iron
girders spanned the main river, with
vaulted bridges crossing the
flood plains on either side. It was formally opened on 21 August 1876, and the name was changed to Reichsbrücke in 1919 after Austria became a republic. As a measure to reduce the level of unemployment in the 1930s, a
suspension bridge was planned to take the place of the old Reichsbrücke. The technical plans were drawn up by the architects Siegfried Theiß and Hans Jaksch, with artistic control being given to Clemens Holzmeister. The
Soviet troops attacking the city arrived in time to prevent the bridge being destroyed by the defending
Wehrmacht, and as a result, the bridge was renamed
Brücke der Roten Armee (
Red Army Bridge) for a while. The bridge was renovated between 1948 and 1952. In 1948, the bridge was used as a location in the film
The Third Man.
Reichsbrücke collapse On 1 August 1976, shortly before 05:00, the bridge collapsed, killing one person. The main reason for the collapse was determined to be a structural failure in the bearings, which was not spotted during inspection due to the massive granite mantle that surrounded them. One
lorry was destroyed and several ships damaged. The driver of an empty city bus was able to save himself, and his bus was salvaged and continued to be used until 1989; it now resides in Vienna's transport museum
Remise. Shipping was diverted through the
Donaukanal. Two supplementary bridges were hurriedly raised to carry the traffic and the trams, and were in use for four years. The Viennese U-Bahn network was routed over the Reichsbrücke for the first time on 3 September 1982. In 2003, the periphery of the bridge was overhauled, together with the lighting, and the footpaths and cyclepaths were widened. At the same time, the width of lanes was increased by reducing the width of the
central reservation and removing the narrow emergency sidewalks. A German passenger ship rammed one pillar of the Reichsbrücke in 2004, severely injuring several people. The bridge was undamaged by the accident. On Saturday 9 July 2005, the 25th anniversary of the building of the Reichsbrücke was celebrated, and the restoration was finished. The
tarmac was treated with a special noise-absorbing layer, and three new
night bus stops were built. The bridge contains the
Donauinsel station of the Vienna U-Bahn. ==References==