Photographs of the Bridges
MittlereBrücke, Basel, Switzerland
The Mittlerebrücke, or Middle Bridge, in Basel is the location of the oldest permanent bridge crossing of the Rhine River. The Romans had built a few bridges over the Rhine, including temporary wooden bridges constructed by Caesar near Koblenz, but the location that has been continuously occupied by a bridge for the longest period of time is the site of the Mittlerebrücke. The original bridge was built in 1225 to support traffic on the Gotthard Pass route between Germany and Italy, and then it remained the only bridge crossing the Rhine over its 600 mile length between the North Sea and the Bodensee for many centuries. This historical significance is not obvious, though, because the current Mittlerebrücke is only about 120 years old.
A small chapel, called the Käppelijoch, is located in the middle of the Mittlerebrücke, in Basel. The original Mittlerebrücke, with its original Käppelijoch, was built in 1225. When this bridge was demolished and replaced in 1903, the builders provided a replacement Käppelijoch, although it is no longer used as a place of worship. The Käppelijoch in place today is a small red sandstone chapel with a gorgeous, multicolored, geometrically patterned roof. It is a prominent landmark in Basel, as evidenced by the hundreds of love padlocks attached to the grate covering the entrance.
The Mittlerebrücke is discussed throughout my books, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times, and Bridgespotting Part 2, because it has several features that make it a prominent tourist bridge. Although there are not many tourist sights in Kleinbasel, there are riverfront hotels located a short walking distance from the Marktplatz in Grossbasel, and the bridge serves as more than a connection between them. The bridge is the best place to see riverfront views of the skyline of Basel, dominated by the Munster on top of a high bluff. The central spot to take in this view is from the Käppelijoch in the middle of the bridge, a prominent tourist sight on its own, with its grate doors covered with love padlocks.
