Elster Viaduct
The Elster Viaduct is a railway bridge in Saxony. They transferred the railway line Leipzig - Hof bei Jocketa ( in the Saxon Vogtland ) across the valley of the White Elster. It applies after the Göltzschtalbrücke as the second largest brick bridge in the world. Under the 68 m high bridge passes the Elstertal web.
History
The bridge was built as part of the construction of the Leipzig -Hof the Saxon- Bavarian Railway. The foundation stone was laid on November 7, 1846. Since the building on the left bank in the built-up pit box conferred since 1834 ironstone mine Fischer was treasure trove of the Röttisleithe, it made itself necessary to arrange a security pillar for protection of bridge. The mining entrepreneur and owner of the ironworks Tannenbergsthal Hermann Lattermann other hand, filed an appeal. Only after lengthy negotiations led to an agreement on the assignment of the pit box part by the brothers Robert and Hermann Lattermann at dawn to the railway management. This prompted the Mining Authority to prohibit the mountain pit box office awards in the field of railways in general.
At the bridge 12 million bricks were used in 1846-1851 of up to 800 workers. In contrast to only ten meters higher Göltzschtalbrücke only two floors and central arches were created here. The lower floor has five pillars, four of which are connected to double pillars. For the foundations of the piers and the deck plates granite was used.
1853 were found unknown old mine workings in the security pillar under the bridge piers at the roof of the depths Fischer Erbstolln that verlassten to studies of the stability of the bridge piers and a brick lining of the depths Fischer recommended Erbstolln, however, appeared to the Saxon State Treasury too expensive. 1854, the ailing Stollnzimmerung was renewed. Four years later this had rotted again so that again a restoration was carried out. After the suspension of operations at Fischer treasure trove of State Treasury acquired in 1867 by Queen Mary's hut the depths Fischer Erbstolln under the security pillar in order Verstürzung with mountains and committed itself in the event of a resumption of the pit to the application of an upheaval. This opportunity sparked renewed security concerns, it was feared that the vibrations during driving a radical change could cause breaks in the old building with the pillars. 1868 this obligation was amended that a new adit should be driven from the Lohbachtal. The mine was never resumed.
At the end of the Second World War, the bridge on April 16, 1945, blown up by the German Wehrmacht. Then the trains from the south-west could initially operate only until Röttis and north-easterly direction only to Jocketa. Very spectacular saw from the temporary bridge circuit. On the rest of the demolished central supporting pillar of a steel truss support was placed, which supported a timber bridge girders. This important bridge was passable again in February 1946. The final reconstruction of the destroyed brick brick arches was completed in October 1950.
The bridge can be committed at the foot of the second arc floor on a hiking trail. Here are two panels are attached, which are intended to give an insight into the rich past of the bridge. These were made during the times of the GDR on behalf of Reichsbahndirektion Dresden and show the building in its original state and in the state with the Behelfsreparatur after the destruction. In 2012, the electrification of the railway line from Herlasgrün was also provided the Elstertalbrücke with an overhead line to Plauen in the course.