This is a list of the 18 bridge

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

s spanning the river Aar on the territory of the city of Bern, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

.

With the historical city core situated on a steeply-flanked peninsula formed by the river, the Aar is a defining part of Bern's cityscape and features prominently in the city's 800-year history. Given its topography, the city's development in modern times was dependent on the construction of long high level bridges. Their construction in the 19th and 20th century at times stretched the limits of the possible.

The building of the great bridges was a continuous topic of political controversy in Bern up until World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The disputes about the location and even the construction materials of the bridges – stone or iron – reflected the rivalry between the city's conservative and liberal factions.

Current bridges

In the table, "length" refers to the distance between abutment

Abutment

An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...

s. The height is measured from the pavement to the mean water level.

Image	Name and description	Opened	Length	Height	Span	Location
	Untertorbrücke: Built in wood 1256, rebuilt in stone 1489. The city's only Aar bridge up until 1834.	1256 / 1489	52.5 m (172.2 ft)	8 m (26.2 ft)	15 m (49.2 ft), also twice 14 m (45.9 ft)	46.9493°N 7.4584°W	6
	Neubrügg ("new bridge"): First built in 1466 to replace a ferry, rebuilt in 1535. Covered bridge Covered bridge A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...  on sandstone Sandstone Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...  pillars, oldest wooden bridge in the Canton.	1466 / 1535	91 m (298.6 ft)	6 m (19.7 ft)	21 m (68.9 ft) to 16 m (52.5 ft), 5 spans	46.9738°N 7.4281°W	17
	Altenbergsteg: Footbridge built to connect the city to the Altenberg residential area. Built in wood in 1834 to replace an 1823 ferry, rebuilt in iron 1857.	1834 / 1857	57 m (187 ft)	5 m (16.4 ft)	57 m (187 ft)	46.9502°N 7.4485°W	7
	Nydeggbrücke Nydeggbrücke The Nydeggbrücke is a bridge in Bern, Switzerland which connects the eastern part of the old city to the new part. It crosses over the Aare River and is located very close to the Bärengraben. It was built in parallel to the Untertorbrücke in 1840, which until then had been the only bridge crossing... : First high level bridge, sheathed in sandstone Sandstone Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,... . Its main arch is the widest stone arch in continental Europe. Built by a consortium of conservative burghers and financed through usage fees.	1840	148 m (485.6 ft)	23 m (75.5 ft)	46 m (150.9 ft) (main arch), 17 m (55.8 ft) (side arches)	46.9485°N 7.4584°W	5
	Tiefenaubrücke: High level stone bridge built by the liberal government in reaction to the Nydeggbrücke. Original design marred by 1977 broadening. Parallel railway bridge opened 1965.	1850	92 m (301.8 ft)	31 m (101.7 ft)	25 m (82 ft), thrice	46.9770°N 7.4568°W	14
	Dalmazibrücke: Riverbank-level bridge in the Marzili neighbourhood, originally built as an iron bridge in 1872; demolished and rebuilt in prestressed concrete in 1958.	1872 / 1958	63 m (206.7 ft)	4 m (13.1 ft)	20 m (65.6 ft), thrice	46.9445°N 7.4458°W	3
	Kirchenfeldbrücke: First iron high level bridge, inspired by contemporary English England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...  designs. Built to develop the Kirchenfeld neighbourhood.	1883	229 m (751.3 ft)	39 m (128 ft)	86 m (282.2 ft), twice	46.9459°N 7.4485°W	4
	Kornhausbrücke: High level bridge of stone and iron intended to develop the Lorraine Lorraine (région) Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...  neighbourhood.	1898	355 m (1,164.7 ft)	48 m (157.5 ft)	115 m (377.3 ft) and five times 36 m (118.1 ft)	46.9506°N 7.4485°W	8
	Schönausteg: Iron footbridge in the style of the Altenbergsteg, near the Dählhölzli zoo.	1906	54 m (177.2 ft)	4 m (13.1 ft)	54 m (177.2 ft)	46.9344°N 7.4460°W	1
	Halenbrücke: High level concrete bridge, only lightly reinforced, leading to Kirchlindach Kirchlindach Kirchlindach is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-History:The name Kirchlindach first appeared in writing on 2 October 1185, when Pope Lucius III affirmed legal possession of the area to Erlach in a papal bull... .	1913	234 m (767.7 ft)	38 m (124.7 ft)	87 m (285.4 ft) and four times 21 m (68.9 ft)	46.9506°N 7.4485°W	18
	Seftausteg: Iron footbridge at the Felsenau power plant Felsenau power plant The Felsenau power plant is a hydroelectric power plant located on the river Aar in Berne, Switzerland. It was built in 1909 by the city's utility company, Energie Wasser Bern. After a 1989 modernisation, the turbine hall is now used as a museum... .	1921	53 m (173.9 ft)	5 m (16.4 ft)	53 m (173.9 ft)	46.9694°N 7.4389°W	16
	Felsenaubrücke: First built by the army as a wooden bridge in 1929, rebuilt as a solid-web girder bridge made of packed concrete in 1949. Not to be confused with the later Felsenauviadukt.	1928 / 1949	63 m (206.7 ft)	8 m (26.2 ft)	16 m (52.5 ft), thrice	46.9760°N 7.4405°W	15
	Lorrainebrücke: First reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...  high level bridge, built in the then-popular Heimatstil to resemble the older stone bridges.	1930	178 m (584 ft)	38 m (124.7 ft)	82 m (269 ft)	46.9529°N 7.4433°W	9
	Railway viaduct or Lorraineviadukt: Built in concrete by the Federal Railways SBB-CFF-FFS Swiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...  to replace the aging Rote Brücke. It was the longest four-track railway viaduct Viaduct A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...  in Europe at the time of construction.	1941	1093 m (3,586 ft)	43 m (141.1 ft)	150 m (492.1 ft)	46.9540°N 7.4419°W	10
	Monbijoubrücke: Designed as a high-traffic four-lane automobile bridge at a peak of general automobile enthusiasm; executed in prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete... .	1962	338 m (1,108.9 ft)	22 m (72.2 ft)	86 m (282.2 ft) twice and 81 m (265.7 ft) twice	46.9400°N 7.4447°W	2
	Tiefenaubrücke (RBS): High level bridge in prestressed concrete built alongside the Tiefenaubrücke for the RBS Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn RBS is a Swiss public transport company. It operates train, tram, and bus lines between Bern, Solothurn and Worb.RBS was founded as the Bern-Worb-Bahn in 1898, which grew to RBS in 1984 through a series of mergers...  railway.	1965	200 m (656.2 ft)	30 m (98.4 ft)	97 m (318.2 ft)	46.9770°N 7.4571°W	13
	Felsenauviadukt: Longest viaduct of the A1 highway A1 (Switzerland) The A1 is a motorway in Switzerland. It follows Switzerland's main east-west axis, from St. Margrethen in northeastern Switzerland's canton of St. Gallen through to Geneva in southwestern Switzerland...  and the world's first single-cell box girder bridge Box girder bridge A box girder bridge is a bridge in which the main beams comprise girders in the shape of a hollow box. The box girder normally comprises either prestressed concrete, structural steel, or a composite of steel and reinforced concrete. The box is typically rectangular or trapezoidal in cross-section...  built with the cantilever method, a pioneer work in prestressed concrete construction. Design by Christian Menn Christian Menn Christian Menn is a bridge designer from Switzerland. He owned his own Engineering Company in Chur, Switzerland from 1957-1971. From 1971 until his retirement in 1992 he became a professor of Structural Engineering at ETH Zurich specializing in Bridge design... .	1975	1116 m (3,661.4 ft)	63 m (206.7 ft)	156 m (511.8 ft) twice, 48 m (157.5 ft) twice	46.9693°N 7.4477°W	12
	Stauwehr Engehalde: Steel walkway across the Engehalde weir Weir A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top... .	1998	61 m (200.1 ft)			46.9655°N 7.4449°W	11

Former bridges

Apart from the bridges that were rebuilt in the same spot, as noted above, one bridge no longer exists:

	|Name and description	| In operation	| Length	| Height	| Span	| Location
	Rote Brücke (Red Bridge): High level bridge on stone pillars; the first railway bridge, iron bridge and double-decker bridge in Bern. Generally referred to by its red colour, it also acquired the sobriquet Sobriquet A sobriquet is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...  Würgengel ("Angel of Death") because of frequent fatal accidents. Replaced by the Lorrainebrücke and the modern railway bridge.	1858–1941	164 m (538.1 ft)	43 m (141.1 ft) (lower deck)	57 m (187 ft) and twice 50 m (164 ft)	46.9531°N 7.4429°W

Ferries

Before the building of the major bridges, a number of ferries

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 existed in Bern to carry passengers and cargo across the Aar. Two remain in service:

• The Reichenbach ferry (46.9907°N 7.4505°W) is a cable ferry
  Cable ferry
  A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....
  
   established in 1743. It links the tip of the Enge peninsula to Reichenbach Castle in Zollikofen
  Zollikofen
  Zollikofen is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.It is a suburb of the capital of Bern....
  
  .
• The Zehndermätteli ferry (46°58′49.5"N 7°26′30"E) is a cable ferry linking the Enge peninsula to Bremgarten
  Bremgarten
  The name Bremgarten may refer to several places:*In Germany**Bremgarten is a little village, near Freiburg im Breisgau , Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg*In Switzerland**Bremgarten bei Bern, in the Canton of Bern...
  
  .