Loschwitz Bridge 'Blue Wonder'

When the steel girder bridge that connects the Dresden districts of Blasewitz and Loschwitz was officially opened in 1893, it provoked partly indignant rejection. Even in the 1930s serious consideration was given replacing it with a “more pleasant” reinforcedconcrete bridge. The sight of the riveted metal joists was apparently too unusual, and the connection to the landscape was felt to be insufficient. Maybe it also annoyed the citizens also – until the inflation of 1923 – a toll had to be paid for crossing the bridge. Today, the “Blue Wonder” is a landmark of the city. In any case, the shape resulted from the requirements. The shipping companies were against pillars in the river bed, the hydraulic engineering office in charge required a “structurally analysed iron construction”. So they decided on a “reinforced suspension bridge” according to the system of Claus Koepke. With great help from the population, the construction was subjected to a stress test on 11 July 1893. First it was packed with all sorts of vehicles weighing a total of 197 tons, then a company of the Dresden Jäger Battalion was allowed to march across the bridge. It held. And it had held until today, partly because several citizens of Dresden in 1945 saved it from being blown up. It remains to be clarified why it is called the “Blue Wonder”. Well, it is beyond doubt blue, and it is a wonder because of its unusually large span. And so nobody uses its official name, the “Loschwitz Bridge”.