Description of the attraction
On the Kirchenfeldbrücke bridge, you can cross the Are river from the observation deck near the Berne Casino to the museum quarter, where you can spend most of the day.
The bridge was designed by engineers Moritz Probst and Jules Roethlisberger from the local construction company Gottlieb Ott & Cie. The arched structure was built in 21 months and opened on September 24, 1883. The Kirchenfeldbrücke is the third such bridge in Switzerland after the Javrozbrücke in Sharm and the Schweizwasserbrücke between Bern and Schwarzenburg.
In 1901, tram line III began to run on the Kirchenfeldbrücke bridge. 12 years later, the city authorities decided to reinforce the structure of the bridge so that a second tram track could be laid on it. In addition, the existing bridge was subject to vertical vibrations due to constant horse-drawn carriages passing over it, and horizontal vibrations due to pedestrians walking in the same direction. To make the bridge more stable, the main pillars were replaced with reinforced concrete piles. The sidewalk was divided into two parts. Each of them could only go in one direction. This made the bridge more static. The sidewalk was henceforth made of reinforced concrete slabs with a wooden pavement.
In 1972, the railings, made of cast iron, were replaced with an iron fence. Interestingly, about 55 cm of the original cast-iron balustrade, which can be seen today, has survived on one side of the bridge.
The Kirchenfeldbrücke double-arch bridge is 229 meters long. About 1,300 tons of steel were used to erect the supporting structure, and an additional 2,300 tons were required for the construction of the roadway.
For some reason, this bridge was chosen by suicides. To prevent further attempts by people to commit suicide, a three-meter iron mesh was fixed on the railing of the bridge.
