Mülheimer Schiffbrücke

This slightly elevated, flood-protected bank north of the Strunde estuary had long been a convergence point for regional roads. In 1265, Count Adolf built a fortification here; in 1268, the Cistercian monks of Altenberg Abbey acquired the right to operate a ferry to the Electorate of Cologne's bank. Around 1700 the right passed to the House of Berg, which ran a current-driven reaction ferry (Gierponte). That service ended in 1844 and was replaced by rowboats until 1872, then by a wire-rope ferry until 1887 — whose vessels are said to be the origin of the nickname "Mülheimer Böötche."

On 7 May 1885, the city of Mülheim bought the second-hand pontoon bridge from Mainz for 45,000 Marks. Transporting it to its new site cost a further 120,000 Marks; electrical connections, anchoring the sections, and dredging a navigation channel added another 85,000 Marks, bringing the total to 185,000 Marks — roughly €1.7 million in today's money. The bridge was positioned at Buchheimer Straße, leading to Wiener Platz. Smoking was banned on the twelve-metre-wide crossing due to fire risk, and a toll of four Pfennig was charged per crossing. On its very first day, a passing ship caused serious damage to the structure. The city ran the bridge itself until 1912, when operator Richard Majewski took over the lease.

The ageing bridge could no longer keep pace with early-twentieth-century traffic and was repeatedly closed by ice drift or flooding. As early as 1913, Cologne had pledged to build a permanent bridge as part of the annexation negotiations. After closure and dismantling, the Mülheimer Hängebrücke followed in October 1929 — at its opening, it was considered the largest suspension bridge in the world.