Bridge at Remagen

Important Rhine Bridge in World War

On the 7th of March 1945, an advance element of the 9th U.S. Armored Division led by K.H. Timmermann, an American of German descent, reached the last intact Rhine Bridge. The Germans twice failed in their demolition attempts.

Built during First World War

During the First World War the railway bridge at Remagen was built to bring troops and war material to the Western Front. Karl Wiener, an architect from Mannheim, designed the bridge. It was 325 meters long, had a clearance of 14.80 m. above the Rhine, and its highest point measured 29.25 m. The bridge carried two rail tracks and a pedestrian walkway.

American troops crossed the Rhine

While American troops crossed the Rhine the Germans made desperate attempts to destroy the bridge by bombing and even by employing frogmen, but in ten days time 40,000 soldiers crossed the bridge.
On the 17th of March 1945 the bridge collapsed due to overloading. Twenty-eight American soldiers lost their lives.

Film and museum

Later General Eisenhower stated that "the bridge was worth its weight in gold".
Many books have been written about this episode of modern history and David L. Wolper produced an American motion picture "The Bridge at Remagen". This film depicted the actual historical background, but was fictional in all other aspects.
In 1980 in one of the two original bridge towers a museum was opened.