Photo: Cesar von Meissen
Bridge over the Baldeneysee
The Railway bridge In Kupferdreh, the bridge connects the Essen districts of Heisingen and Kupferdreh and was formerly used by the Ruhrtalbahn railway line as a railway bridge to cross the Ruhr River. The tracks have since been removed, and today the bridge is used as a pedestrian and cycle path., Inline skaters and cyclists Thanks to the steel construction, they can cross the Baldeneysee with dry feet.
Construction and destruction
Construction of the railway bridge began on August 10, 1872, actually a Saturday. Just two years later, at its inauguration, the first train of the then Ruhr Valley Railway rolled across the massive steel structure. The Ruhr Valley Railway, at that time part of the Bergisch-Märkische Railway, used the double-track, 233-meter-long steel truss bridge as a fast connection from Überruhr, Heisingen, Werden via Kettwig as far as the Rhine, where the mined coal was loaded for further transport. In 1945, the German Wehrmacht attempted to halt the American troops by blowing up the bridge. After the war, the Kupferdreh railway bridge was rebuilt by the Christine mining company.
Decommissioning and repurposing
By the 1970s, the bridge was no longer needed as a railway line. The surrounding coal mines had closed, and so the bridge was finally decommissioned on October 1, 1978. A few years later, after the tracks had been removed, the bridge raised by 70 centimeters, and a wooden deck installed, the then-mayor, Peter Reuschenbach, reopened the bridge as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge on December 6, 1984.
Landmark and hiking trail
Today, the Kupferdreh railway bridge is a landmark at the Baldeneysee and offers a breathtaking view of the Ruhr, the Baldeneysee and the outskirts of the bird sanctuary Heisinger Bogen. The bridge is part of the Ruhr Valley Cycle Route, and several hiking trails cross it or run very close by. The Kupferdreh Circular Trail, for example, is a nearly 21-kilometer loop through the Kupferdreh district. The third stage of the Ruhr GeoRoute leads from Essen-Kupferdreh to Bochum and provides information about coal mining. Another challenging hiking trail, approximately 34 kilometers long, is the Deilbachsteig. Not to be forgotten is the first stage of the Bergischer Weg trail, which starts at Baldeneysee and leads to Hardenberg Castle. Baldeneysteig, the circular hiking trail around the Baldeneysee.
