Horn Bridge

The Horn Bridge or Hornbrucke is a folding bridge in the city of Kiel in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. One can describe it as a three-segment bascule bridge with a main span of 25.5 meters (84 ft) that folds in the shape of the letter N. The bridge was designed by Von Gerkan, Marge und Partner.

Horn Bridge

Carries                      Pedestrians

Crosses                      Kiel Fjord

Locale                       Kiel, Germany

Designer                    Von Gerkan, Marge und Partner

Design                       Folding bridge

Longest span             25.5 meters (84 ft)

Opening date            1997

The Horn Bridge is a three-segment bascule bridge over the inner end of the Kiel Fjord (called Horn) in the port of the German city of Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein. The bridge is a 25.5-meter-long, 5-meter-wide steel structure.

This pedestrian bridge was built in 1997 and connects the city centre on the west bank of the Horn with the Gaarden quarter and the Norwegenkai (Norway dock) on the east bank. It is one of the architectural and technical attractions of the city and is an important traffic route for pedestrians and cyclists. It was meant primarily as a route from the station to Norwegenkai for the passengers of the Oslo ferry line.

The bridge construction cost 16 million DM, and its construction was viewed skeptically by many Kielians. There were repeated malfunctions of the mechanism upon startup, hence one of its nicknames, the "Klappt-Nix-Brucke" (Folds-not Bridge).

In order to ensure crossing for pedestrians and cyclists, a hydraulically operated retractable bridge was built directly adjacent as an interim solution and is still used during repair and maintenance of the folding bridge. The Horn Bridge is now accepted as a technical wonder and has become a tourist attraction.

Usually the bridge opens once per hour and its movements continue to fascinate even local residents. Small- and medium-sized ships can travel into and out of the Horn when the bridge is retracted.

The bridge offers one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the Baltic Sea city of Kiel. It is also at the beginning and terminating point of a scenic route: the tourist route from Bremervorde to the Kieler Förde connects approximately 50 different ferries, bridges, ship locks, tidal barriers and maritime museums and its landmarks of the Rendsburg and Osten (Oste) transporter bridges.