Bridge Nydeggbruecke description and photos - Switzerland: Bern (Topic)

Nydeggbruecke bridge description and photos - Switzerland: Bern. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Nydeggbruecke.

Photo and description

The Niedeggbrucke bridge connects the eastern part of the Old Town with new buildings on the other side of the Are river. The bridge is located very close to the famous Bear Pit, an area that contains the symbols of the city of Bern, after which it is named - live bears. It is very convenient to observe the movements of animals directly from the Niedeggbrucke bridge.

This bridge was built parallel to the already existing old Unterthorbrucke bridge, which can be seen on the left side of the bridge when facing the Old Town. Before the construction of the Niedeggbrucke Bridge, which happened in 1840-1844, Untertorbrucke was the only crossing over the Aare River.

The Niedeggbrucke Bridge is named after the Niedeggkirche church, which rises on the river bank. With the advent of the new bridge, the beloved temple was overshadowed by a brighter and more eye-catching structure that completely changed the face of Old Bern. The 190-meter-long bridge is higher in height than the neighboring residential buildings.

The company that financed the construction of the bridge received from the city the right to levy a trade duty on everyone who crossed the Are River. For this, four customs pavilions were built at the ends of the bridge. Local residents and visitors to the city paid taxes until 1853, when a part of the Swiss Federal Constitution came into force, removing all internal taxes on travel and trade. The customs pavilions were closed, and the bridge passed into the possession of the canton. In 1850, the Tiefenaubrucke bridge was built, which offered a more convenient entry into the Old Town. Only the local residents who lived nearby began to use the Niedeggbrucke Bridge. This changed in the 1920s, when the city expanded to the southeast, and the Niedeggbrucke Bridge became in demand again.

The old pavilions now house residential apartments. One of them houses a popular restaurant.

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Topic: Bridge Nydeggbruecke description and photos - Switzerland: Bern.