Saturday, March 14, 2009

Unusual bridges – water bridges

Magdeburg Water Bridge

Magdeburg Canal Bridge

Ships usually sail under bridges - here, however, they sail over one! The Magdeburg Canal Bridge, sometimes referred to as the Magdeburg Water Bridge  connects the Mittellandkanal and Elbe-Havel-Kanal waterways, traversing the River Elbe in the process. The bridge can carry trains of barges propelled from the rear by high-power tugs (so-called "push-tows"), and large inland cargo vessels. All this is made possible by a gigantic steel trough. Completed in December 2003, the bridge is 918 meters long and has been modestly described as "a giant, kilometer-long concrete bathtub."


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Minden canal bridge

800px-WasserstrassenkreuzMinden

Central buildings of the Wasserstraßenkreuzes Minden are the old Trogbrücke and the parallel new Trogbrücke. Both lead the Midland Canal over the Weser. With the 83 m long lock and the new canal bridge that was taken into service also in 1998. The usual traffic only uses the new bridge. The 370 m long bridge is the second largest in Europe. 800px-Midland_canal


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Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10