Südbrücke
Steel three-arch railway bridge from 1910 spanning the Rhine, primarily for freight traffic, with pedestrian and cycle paths; listed heritage structure.
since 1946
The Südbrücke is a railway bridge across the Rhine that has primarily served freight traffic since its construction, while remaining open to pedestrians and cyclists.
At a Glance
- Type
- Railway bridge across the Rhine, part of Cologne's freight bypass railway
- Construction period
- 1906 to 1910, opened on 5 April 1910
- Design
- Three-arch steel truss structure, 368 m total length
- Spans
- 101.5 m – 165 m – 101.5 m
- Tracks
- Double track, maximum speed 60 km/h
- Footpaths
- 3.57 m wide on each side
- Location
- Left bank: Neustadt-Süd and Bayenthal; right bank: Deutz and Poll
- Status
- Listed heritage structure, owned by Deutsche Bahn
During construction of the Südbrücke in 1908, eight workers were killed in an accident while erecting the central truss arch – which is why the opening ceremony in 1910 was deliberately cancelled out of respect.
Things to do here
Length comparison
Length compared with other Cologne bridges.
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
History
The bridge was built under the direction of the Royal Prussian State Railway, with construction officer Fritz Beermann overseeing the project and Friedrich Dircksen responsible for the design. No opening ceremony was held after eight workers lost their lives during construction of the central truss arch in 1908. Bombing on 6 January 1945 destroyed much of the structure, and the central arch in the river had to be demolished. A single-track temporary service resumed in May 1946, before the rebuilt bridge reopened on 1 October 1950. Some of the stone blocks freed up in the process were reused for the masonry arches over the Rheinuferstraße and Alfred-Schütte-Allee.
Architecture and Heritage Status
The stonework at the portals, ramps, and piers was designed by Berlin architect Franz Schwechten, who also contributed to the Hohenzollernbrücke. Sculptor Gotthold Riegelmann created the figurative decoration on the Neo-Romanesque staircase towers. Unlike the Hohenzollernbrücke, whose damaged towers were fully demolished after the war, only the decorative portals and some tower sections were left unrestored here. The bridge holds listed status for its railway-historical significance, its steel truss construction, and its surviving Neo-Romanesque stonework. In May 2006, the Rhineland Association for Monument Preservation named it "Monument of the Month" to highlight its condition.
Today and Usage
Passenger trains use the bridge only in exceptional circumstances — during disruptions or engineering works on the regular lines — with just a handful of scheduled ICE and EuroNight services crossing it routinely. Under agreements made at the time of reconstruction, maintenance of the footpaths is the responsibility of the City of Cologne.
Surroundings and Future
On both banks, the bridge marks a district boundary. At the left-bank approach lies the Friedenspark, which has existed since 1914. In 2021, the go.Rheinland transport authority announced plans to expand the bridge from two to four tracks, completing the Cologne S-Bahn ring; as of May 2024, the S-Bahn is to run across the existing structure rather than a new build.
Timeline
- 1906Construction begins on 8 November by the Royal Prussian State Railway
- 1908Serious accident on the central truss arch – eight workers killed
- 1910Officially put into service on 5 April
- 1914Friedenspark established at the left-bank approach to the bridge
- 1945Largely destroyed by bombs on 6 January; central arch demolished
- 1946Reopened provisionally with a single track in May
- 1950Reconstruction completed; reopened on 1 October
- 2002110 kV rail power line Cologne–Sindorf crosses the Rhine at the bridge
- 2009Renovation of footways and staircase towers begins in December (approx. €5.1 million)
- 2021NVR announces expansion to four tracks on 17 February
Map
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Address
Alfred-Schütte-Allee 34
51105 Köln
Hours
So: 00:00–24:00
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-27
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