Cologne - Germany

This card of the Hohenzollernbrücke, with Cologne Cathedral and Museum Ludwig in the background, was one of my favorite cards from Germany. It was sent by Rafal.

"The Hohenzollernbrücke is a bridge crossing the river Rhine in the german city of Cologne. It crosses the Rhine at km 688.5. Originally, the bridge was both a railway and street bridge, however after its destruction in 1945 and its subsequent reconstruction it was only accessible to rail and pedestrian traffic.

It is the most heavily used railway bridge in Germany.

The bridge was constructed between 1907 and 1911 after the old bridge, the Dombrücke, had to be demolished. The Dombrücke had been unable to handle the increasing traffic in Cologne. The Hohenzollernbrücke was one of the most important bridges in Germany during World War II, even under consistent daily airstrikes the bridge was not damaged badly. On March 6 1945 German Military engineers blew up the bridge when Allied troops started to conquer Cologne. After the war, reconstruction was quickly organized; by May 8 1948 the Hohenzollernbrücke was accessible by pedestrians again.

The Hohenzollernbrücke now regularly has over 1200 trains pass through daily. The bridge is regarded as an important part of Cologne as it is connects Cologne's central station with the major European cities on the other side of the Rhine.

The total length of the Hohenzollernbrücke is 409.19 meters." - in: wikipedia