Old Bridge (Alte Brücke)

The Old Bridge (Alte Brücke), formally the Karl-Theodor-Brücke, crosses the Neckar at the foot of the Old Town in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The present sandstone structure was built between 1786 and 1788 under Elector Karl Theodor, with Mathias Mayer as architect, and is the ninth bridge on the site; earlier wooden and stone crossings were repeatedly destroyed by floods, ice and war. Its nine arches, nearly 200 metres long, carry a pedestrian and light-traffic roadway between the Old Town and the northern bank near the Neuenheim district. At the Old Town end stands the Brückentor, a medieval gate whose two towers date to the 15th century, with Baroque domed caps added after the 1690s. The towers once served as part of the town's fortifications and later housed a dungeon, and the gate gives the bridge its characteristic silhouette beneath the castle. Statues stand on the piers, among them figures of Elector Karl Theodor and the goddess Minerva. A bronze monkey figure near the gate, a reproduction of a medieval sculpture, is a popular photo spot, and tradition holds that touching it brings luck. The bridge was blown up by retreating German troops in March 1945, close to the end of the Second World War, which destroyed several arches. It was rebuilt after the war, with reconstruction keeping the Baroque form, and today it remains one of the most recognisable viewpoints in Germany. From the bridge visitors see the castle on the hillside, the Heiligenberg across the river, and the riverside promenade. Because it is open at all times and free to cross, the bridge works as a stop on any walk between the Old Town and the Philosophenweg, the hillside path on the northern bank known for panoramic views.