Karlssteg, Freiburg

The Karlssteg is a 136.5 meter long footbridge of tension construction in Freiburg im Breisgau. A concrete strip only 25 cm thick with 60 continuous tension elements leads from Karlsplatz to the Stadtgarten. In high temperatures, the tension band can sag up to 40cm. Construction of the bridge began in 1969; in January 1970, the columns were already standing, and in June, for the city's 850th anniversary, the Karlssteg Bridge – constructed by the engineer H.Nehse – was opened to traffic as the first bridge of its kind in Germany. In the same year, the Mozart, Hermann and Schwabentor bridges were opened, though in a less spectacular way, passing over Mozartstraße and Schlossbergring. ()