With the historical city core situated on a steeply-flanked peninsula formed by the river, the Aare is a defining part of Bern's cityscape and features prominently in the city's 800-year history. Given its topography, the city's development in modern times was dependent on the construction of long high level bridges. Their construction in the 19th and 20th century at times stretched the limits of the possible.[1]
The building of the great bridges was a continuous topic of political controversy in Bern up until World War II. The disputes about the location and even the construction materials of the bridges – stone or iron – reflected the rivalry between the city's conservative and liberal factions.[2]
Altenbergsteg: Footbridge built to connect the city to the Altenberg residential area. Built in wood in 1834 to replace an 1823 ferry, rebuilt in iron 1857.[4]
Nydeggbrücke: First high level bridge, sheathed in sandstone.[6] Its main arch is the widest stone arch in continental Europe.[7] Built by a consortium of conservative burghers and financed through usage fees.[6]
1840
148 m (486 ft)
23 m (75 ft)
46 m (151 ft) (main arch), 17 m (56 ft) (side arches)
Tiefenaubrücke: High level stone bridge built by the liberal government in reaction to the Nydeggbrücke.[8] Original design marred by 1977 broadening.[9] Parallel railway bridge opened 1965.
Dalmazibrücke: Riverbank-level bridge in the Marzili neighbourhood, originally built as an iron bridge in 1872; demolished and rebuilt in prestressed concrete in 1958.[10]
Felsenaubrücke: First built by the army as a wooden bridge in 1929, rebuilt as a solid-web girder bridge made of packed concrete in 1949.[14] Not to be confused with the later Felsenauviadukt.
Lorraine railway viaduct or Lorraineviadukt: Built in concrete by the Federal Railways to replace the aging Rote Brücke. It was the longest four-track railway viaduct in Europe at the time of construction.[16]
Monbijoubrücke: Designed as a high-traffic four-lane automobile bridge at a peak of general automobile enthusiasm; executed in prestressed concrete.[17]
Apart from the bridges that were rebuilt in the same spot, as noted above, one bridge no longer exists:
Name and description
In operation
Length
Height
Span
Location
Rote Brücke (Red Bridge): High level bridge on stone pillars; the first railway bridge, iron bridge and double-decker bridge in Bern. Generally referred to by its red colour, it also acquired the sobriquetWürgengel ("Angel of Death") because of frequent fatal accidents.[22][23][24] Replaced by the Lorrainebrücke and the modern railway bridge.[22]
Before the building of the major bridges, a number of ferries existed in Bern to carry passengers and cargo across the Aare. Two remain in service:[25]
Furrer, Bernhard (1984), Übergänge: Berner Aarebrücken, Geschichte und Gegenwart, Bern: Benteli, ISBN3-7165-0492-0
Hofer, Paul (1959), Die Stadt Bern., Kunstdenkmäler des Kantons Bern, vol. 1, Basel: Gesellschaft für Schweizerische Kunstgeschichte / Verlag Birkhäuser, pp. 193–224, ISBN3-906131-13-0, archived from the original on 7 July 2011, retrieved 7 June 2008
von Bergen, Stefan (1998), "Brückenschläge in die Zukunft – die Schlüsselrolle der Hochbrücken in Berns Urbanisierung", in Lüthi, Christian; Meier, Bernhard (eds.), Bern – eine Stadt bricht auf: Schauplätze und Geschichten der Berner Stadtentwicklung zwischen 1798 und 1998, Bern: Paul Haupt, pp. 25–40, ISBN3-258-05721-4
