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TheElster Viaduct (German:Elstertalbrücke) is a railway bridge in theGerman state ofSaxony. It carries theLeipzig–Hof line nearJocketa over the valley of theWhite Elster. After theGöltzsch Viaduct (Göltzschtalbrücke) it is the second largest brick bridge in the world. TheElster Valley Railway passes under the 68 metre-high bridge.
The viaduct was built in the course of the construction of theLeipzig–Hof line of theSaxon-Bavarian State Railway (Sächsisch-Bayerische Staatseisenbahn). The foundation stone was laid on 7 November 1846. Up to 800 workers worked on the bridge from 1846 to 1851, laying 12 million bricks. In contrast to the Göltzsch Viaduct, which is only nine metres higher, it was built with normally shaped arches on only two levels. The lower level has five piers, four of which are built as double piers. The foundations of the piers and the deck were built out of slabs of granite.
In the last days of theSecond World War on 16 April 1945 the GermanWehrmacht partially demolished the bridge. This meant that trains from the southwest could only run as far as Röttis and from the northeast only as far as Jocketa. A temporary bridge was erected by attaching a steel truss to the remains of the demolished central supporting pier, which supported the girders of a timber bridge. This important bridge was reopened to traffic in February 1946. The final reconstruction of the two collapsed masonry brick arches was completed in October 1950.
The top of the lower arches carries a hiking trail. There are plaques on this level showing the reconstruction after the Second World War.
| Height | 68 metres on 2 levels |
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| Length | 279 m, maximum span of arches: 31.1 m |
| Number of bricks | 12,323,000 |
| Brick masonry | 31,237 m³ |
| Stone masonry | 21,579 m³ |
Media related toElster Viaduct at Wikimedia Commons
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50°33′12.7″N12°10′3.60″E / 50.553528°N 12.1676667°E /50.553528; 12.1676667
