The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke ("Emperor William Bridge") is a swing bridge in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, and the town's landmark.
The Kaiser Wilhelm-bridge connects the beach (Südstrandpromenade) with the South Quarter.
It was build between 1905 (beginning) and 1907 (completion) as Europe's biggest swing bridge. The design scheme was created by Ernst Troschel, it was built by MAN Nuremberg.
In 2003 the rotary mechanics of the southern part of the bridge were damaged when a tugboat collided with a frigate and had to be partially repaired.
The bridge has a length of 159 m and a width of 8 m. The two pillars are 20,4 m tall. The maximum passage height is 9,00 m at + 1,10 m medium water-level in the harbor, the passage width is 58,60 m.
On the bridge the road traffic can only drive one way at the same time. It is controlled by traffic lights. Before it tilts out the bridge is blocked for the whole traffic by light signals and pikes.
In 2007, Deutsche Post released a 1.45 euro stamp to commemorate the centennial of the bridge.
This article was translated from the German Wikipedia on December 15, 2006
