De Hef, Rotterdam

De Hef or Koningshavenbrug - a steel, railway bridge lifted from the Koningshaven port swimming pool in Rotterdam, the Netherlands excluded from operation. It was opened in 1877 as a rotary bridge, in the years 1925–1927 it was rebuilt to the bridge. Since 1993, after opening the Willespoortnel tunnel, it is excluded from operation. The bridge was preserved as a monument.

The bridge was opened in 1877 as a rotary bridge. This technical solution, however, caused big problems in shipping. After a collision on November 2, 1918, the German ship with the bridge rose votes calling to change its configuration. The reconstruction of the crossing to the raised bridge was finally approved in 1924. The works began in March 1925, and the commissioning took place on October 31, 1927. The author of the project was Pieter Joosting. The bridge runs over the Koningshaven port pool, connecting the island of Noordereiland with the southern shore. It consists of three spans and two 70 m high towers. The central, movable span could be raised to a height of 45 m. In 1928 a short, silent documentary film bridge, one of the first direction of Joris Ivens, was created, who was created He contributed to the international fame of this filmmaker. On September 15, 1993, the WillespoortNnel railway tunnel was commissioned, and therefore Most de Hef became unnecessary. The demolition of the bridge was considered, but eventually it was decided to leave it as a monument. The movable span was permanently raised up, completely excluding it from operation. On October 10, 2000, the bridge was entered in the register of Dutch monuments. De Hef is the largest and most famous bridge raised in the Netherlands, as well as one of the symbols of Rotterdam. Near the bridge there is also a road bridge, Koninginnebrug.