Dombrücke

Cologne's first permanent modern Rhine crossing (1859), nicknamed the ‘mousetrap' – demolished in 1911 and replaced by the Hohenzollern Bridge.

Vanished Cologne City history

The Dombrücke (Cathedral Bridge) was Cologne's first permanent railway and road bridge over the Rhine and the direct predecessor of today's Hohenzollern Bridge. It opened in 1859 together with Cologne's first central station.

Source: Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-06-23

At a glance

Opened: 1859
Demolished: from 1911, replaced by the Hohenzollern Bridge
Location: on the central axis of the cathedral (today the southern part of the Hohenzollern Bridge)
Nickname: the "mousetrap" (Kölsch: "Muusfall")

The "permanent bridge"

After the Roman bridge of the 4th century, the Dombrücke was the first permanent Rhine crossing between Basel and the Netherlands – hence also called the "permanent bridge". Its close mesh of diagonal struts and lockable iron gates resembled a cage, giving rise to the nickname "mousetrap". With the rebuilding of the main station it could no longer cope with the growing traffic and, after some 50 years, gave way to the Hohenzollern Bridge.