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De Hef | |
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| Coordinates | 51°54′48″N4°29′56″E / 51.9134°N 4.4989°E /51.9134; 4.4989 |
| Crosses | Koningshaven |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 79 m (259 ft) |
| Width | 11 m (36 ft) |
| History | |
| Architect | Pieter Joosting |
| Opening | 1927 |
| Location | |
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De Hef (lit. 'the lift'), officiallyKoningshaven Bridge, is avertical-lift bridge over the Koningshaven (Kings Harbor)channel at the port ofRotterdam, Netherlands. Built in 1927, the bridge was part of theBreda–Rotterdam railway line until it was decommissioned in 1993. Today, it is aRijksmonument heritage site.
The predecessor bridge dated from 1878. Its configuration as aswing bridge proved an obstacle to shipping (the most notable incident occurring in 1918, when the bridge was struck by the German vesselKandelfels), and it was replaced by a lift bridge in 1927. It was the first bridge of this kind in western Europe.
The bridge was the subject of a 1928 film byJoris Ivens, titledDe brug.
Plans to demolish the railway line and bridge in 1993 were abandoned after widespread protests from local residents. The line was removed but the bridge was left in place as aRijksmonument national heritage monument.
In November 2014, the disused bridge's 55-metre-long (180 ft) lift span was temporarily removed to permit renovation. It was transported to the Merwehaven port, where it was refurbished in 2016, the work funded by the city of Rotterdam.[1] It was reinstalled in February 2017.[2]
In February 2022, Rotterdam announced that the middle section of the bridge would be temporarily removed again, to allowJeff Bezos'sY721 superyacht to pass through.[3] In response to criticism of this decision, Rotterdam mayorAhmed Aboutaleb stated in February of that year that no permit had yet been applied for.[4] Later reports indicated that plans to temporarily dismantle De Hef have been shelved, leaving it unclear ifY721 will be finished as is, and how it will sail down the river if it remains of the same dimensions.[5]
