Am Winterhafen, Mainz

The swing bridge at the Winterhafen in Mainz was built around 1877 and is thus one of the oldest swing bridges still in existence. It crosses the Winterhafen and serves as a link between the old town and the pier on the Victor Hugo Ufer.

Twelve years after the opening of the winter harbor in 1865, the swing bridge enabled ships to pass through at any water level. After the expansion of the Rhine banks, there were two swing bridges in Mainz. However, the bridge at the customs and inland port was demolished after 1945.

The object is under monument protection and is considered a cultural monument. The mechanical turning device of the bridge at Winterhafen had not been functional since 1996 and was replaced by a hydraulic device in 2009 because it was at risk of brittle fracture. In addition, yachts should be able to enter Winterhafen in the future to increase the recreational value for a nearby construction site. The total cost of the project was put at €1.1 million.

The dismantling of the old swing bridge took place on March 20, 2009 with the participation of Riga Mainz. The new swing bridge was manufactured from April of the same year in the workshops of the Wiesbaden-based company Huhle Stahl- und Metallbau. The assembly of the new steel structure took place on October 29, 2009. The structure is 37.50 meters long, 4.50 meters wide and weighs 54 tons. The old bridge section weighed only 21.5 tons. In terms of type, it is an asymmetrical, two-wing road swing bridge made of riveted steel trusses. Thus, the appearance of the new bridge is to be largely adapted to that of the old bridge. The construction materials meet modern requirements, for example, the decking is made of aluminum instead of wooden planks as in the past.

The "kingpin" as a pivot is placed on a sandstone pillar. This part of the mechanism, which is now no longer visible, has a diameter of 20 centimeters. Of the movement mechanism, only the running and rolling rim of the pier can be seen. The bridge abutments are accentuated by balustrades that end in curved pieces of wall with stone benches.