Forbach´s Wooden Bridge

Pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles of all kinds have been crossing the wooden bridge in Forbach for over 200 years. The structure deals with a self-supporting, covered yet simultaneously passable bridge which - although its span measures only 37.8 metres - is regarded as the longest of its kind in Europe, thus posing a small-scale attraction of its own in wood. It has existed in its present form since 1778. A toll had to be paid for crossing the bridge until 1805. The strains placed on the bridge grew steadily as vehicles evolved. Time and again, even heavy-duty military equipment was transported across the bridge. Having aged and fallen into a bad state of repair, the original bridge was dismantled in 1954/55 and reconstructed according to the old blueprints. Both the old and the new wooden bridge withstood every flood to the present day.

Forbach's wooden bridge is a typical arched bridge. The entire supporting structure consists of a wood-frame con-struction viewed as a masterpiece in the art of carpentry. In the maze of beams underneath, all it takes is a glance to recognise the course of the binders, the ends of the arches and the massive grid of knotted wooded beams that transfer the bridge's weight to the foundation.

Crossing the bridge these days is naturally free of charge and recommended to everyone visiting the Murgtal Valley. The "Westweg" hiking route from Pforzheim to Basel leads directly across the bridge, too.

Info

Tourist-Info Forbach im Rathaus
Landstraße 27
76596 Forbach, FRG
Telefon: +49 (0) 7228 39-0
Fax: +49 (0) 7228 39-80
E-Mail: touristinfo@forbach.de
Internet: www.forbach.de