Rügendamm
Encyclopedia
The Rügen Bridge is a pre-stressed concrete cable-stayed bridge
that spans the Strelasund
between the German
City of Stralsund
and Rügen
Island
, Germany
. The bridge was built to replace the aging Rügendamm, which will remain in service to provide a rail link and serve local traffic to Dänholm
island.
The Rügendamm ("Rügen Embankment") is the name of the original road connecting Rügen
Island with the City of Stralsund
on the mainland of the German state
of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
. The road was built in the 1930s and opened in October 1936. The Rügendamm consists of two parts:
The Rügendamm provides the only road and rail access to Dänholm
island.
In 2004, construction of a new bridge, called the 2nd Strelasund Crossing (2. Strelasundquerung), commenced. German Chancellor Angela Merkel
opened the new bridge on 20 October 2007. The name of this new bridge is the Rügen Bridge (Rügenbrücke). The connection has a length of 4.1 kilometres (2.5 mi), the new bridge is 2831 metres (9,288.1 ft) long and the centre pylon is 128 metres (419.9 ft) tall. The new bridge crosses but does not provide access to Dänholm
island.
Cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
that spans the Strelasund
Strelasund
The Strelasund is a sound of the Baltic Sea which separates Rügen from the German mainland. It is crossed by a road and rail bridge called the Rügendamm in Stralsund. It runs in a roughly northwest-to-southeast direction from a small shallow bay just north of Stralsund called the Kubitzer Bodden...
between the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
City of Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
and Rügen
Rügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
Island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The bridge was built to replace the aging Rügendamm, which will remain in service to provide a rail link and serve local traffic to Dänholm
Dänholm
Dänholm is a small island on the German coast of the Baltic Sea. It is situated in the Strelasund just east of Stralsund. Both bridges linking Rügen with the mainland, Rügendamm and Rügenbrücke, run over it...
island.
The Rügendamm ("Rügen Embankment") is the name of the original road connecting Rügen
Rügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
Island with the City of Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
on the mainland of the German state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is a federal state in northern Germany. The capital city is Schwerin...
. The road was built in the 1930s and opened in October 1936. The Rügendamm consists of two parts:
- Strelasund Bridge is a 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) long bridge and causewayCausewayIn modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
spanning the StrelasundStrelasundThe Strelasund is a sound of the Baltic Sea which separates Rügen from the German mainland. It is crossed by a road and rail bridge called the Rügendamm in Stralsund. It runs in a roughly northwest-to-southeast direction from a small shallow bay just north of Stralsund called the Kubitzer Bodden...
; its length is 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) and - Ziegelgraben Bridge, a bascule bridgeBascule bridgeA bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
over the Ziegelgraben. This bridge opens several times a day to allow for the passage of large ships. Prior to the construction of the new Rügen Bridge, the drawbridge bridge was a source of major traffic congestion.
The Rügendamm provides the only road and rail access to Dänholm
Dänholm
Dänholm is a small island on the German coast of the Baltic Sea. It is situated in the Strelasund just east of Stralsund. Both bridges linking Rügen with the mainland, Rügendamm and Rügenbrücke, run over it...
island.
In 2004, construction of a new bridge, called the 2nd Strelasund Crossing (2. Strelasundquerung), commenced. German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
opened the new bridge on 20 October 2007. The name of this new bridge is the Rügen Bridge (Rügenbrücke). The connection has a length of 4.1 kilometres (2.5 mi), the new bridge is 2831 metres (9,288.1 ft) long and the centre pylon is 128 metres (419.9 ft) tall. The new bridge crosses but does not provide access to Dänholm
Dänholm
Dänholm is a small island on the German coast of the Baltic Sea. It is situated in the Strelasund just east of Stralsund. Both bridges linking Rügen with the mainland, Rügendamm and Rügenbrücke, run over it...
island.