The Göltzsch Viaduct Size report
The Göltzsch Viaduct (German: Göltzschtalbrücke) is an old railway bridge in Germany, located in the southwestern part of Saxony and spans the Göltzsch Mountains between Rheinbach and Plauen. The bridge is known as the eighth wonder of the ancient world for its incredible size and construction.
The Göltzsch Viaduct is a historic railway bridge. In 1841, King Ludwig I of Bavaria contracted with the King of Saxony to build the railway from Nuremberg to Leipzig, with an accompanying commitment to building the bridge. During the final stages of World War II, the German Nazis attempted to destroy this key transportation facility.
On September 21, 1976, the former Democratic Republic of Germany issued 6 "Bridges" stamps, one of which was the Göltzsch Viaduct. In 1999, Germany also issued stamps for the bridge. Both sets of stamps feature a more realistic representation of this spectacular bridge.
Size and Features of the Göltzsch Viaduct
The Göltzsch Viaduct is supported by 98 arches and was built between 1845 and 1851. Most of the structure has remained in its original state today and still serves as a railway bridge. Professor Schubert designed the bridge in 1845; referring to the form of the waterway viaduct built by the ancient Romans, he decided to build four-tier continuous bridge arches. The small bridge arches have sufficient supporting force, and the hollow part allows the strong wind in the valley to pass through, reducing the wind pressure to consolidate the bridge column. At the same time, this construction can also reduce materials and labor.
Technical and economic factors determine the choice of construction materials for this bridge. The bridge was built with over 26 million bricks produced by a large brick factory along the railway. The lower part of the piers and the arches are built with stone blocks.
Dimensions of the Göltzsch Viaduct
The Göltzsch Viaduct took nearly six years to build and is 574 meters (1,883 feet) long. It is 23 meters (75 feet) wide at the foot and 9 meters (30 feet) wide at the top, and the bridge height is 78 meters (256 feet). The distance between the piers is 14 meters. There are 98 arches divided over four levels; the diameter of the widest arch in the middle is 31 meters (101 feet). When the bridge was commissioned in 1851, it was the tallest bridge in the world. It remains the largest brick bridge in the world and looks majestic from a distance.
Quick Facts | Dimensions |
---|---|
Total Length | 574 m (1,883 ft) |
Height | 78 me (256 ft) |
Width | 23 m (75 ft) at foot; 9 m (30 ft) at top |
Number of Level | 4 |
Number of Arch | 98 |
Largest Arch | 31 m (101 ft) |
Conclusion
After 1800, the massive expansion of the German railway network presented engineers with new challenges. The Göltzsch Viaduct spanning the Göltzsch Valley in Saxony remains a masterpiece in the history of bridge construction, both in terms of its size and majestic arches. The train running on the bridge looked like a small crawler wriggling. All German people are proud of this ancient brick building. It has a nearby "smaller" sister, the Elster Viadukt, which was also built at the same time and built of brick, and it is also in use today.