The “Echelsbacher Brücke” (bridge) with a bow spanning 130 m across the Ammer (river) Gorge (76 m high, all in all 130 m wide) was accomplished 1929 and was the biggest one of that kind (Melan-Bogenbrücke) at that time worldwide.

The Ammer Gorge was a big challenge on the roman street “Via Reatia” from Italy across the Brenner alpine pass to the important roman founded city “Augsburg” Germany. The station on one side of the gorge was maybe called “Coveliacas” by the Romans which might refer to the „Kofel“ mountain in Oberammergau. The street was later extended by Wittelsbacher emperor Ludwig IV “Der Bayer” into the Via Imperial. The important trade was organized in convoys called “Rotten” to be better able to protect the valuable loads. Street-names like “Rottstraße” in villages on the way like in Oberammergau remind of this business.

The bridge is kind of flexible and Sheila could feel it swing when trucks were passing by and got a little dizzy and acrophobic.

The still important bridge is replaced by a new installment at the moment as it suffered under the heavy traffic over the past 90 years. A temporary bridge (the biggest one ever built in Germany) for that reason has been set up for that purpose recently. The old bridge is a protected technical memorial and also a nature protection site as bats are nesting in it. So there is some dispute about it.

The bridge became of ill fame for many suicides (>100) committed here by People even from aboad jumping down from that bridge. Making the fence higher didn’t really help. Agreements with the newspapers were made to no longer report of incidents of such kind to avoid advertisement. Close by are the strictly protected and hidden “Schleierfälle” (river falls), a protected nature park.

Credit: Maps Icons Collection, https://mapicons.mapsmarker.com

 830 total views,  1 views today