At last made in stone – The bridge under construction
For decades, it had been obvious that the old Rhine Bridge needed replacing. Driftwood, flooding and ice floes were constantly damaging it, while the ever-increasing volume of traffic, including trams, was approaching the weight limit. Finally, an architectural competition was announced. The winning project from Emil Faesch (Basel) and Friedrich von Thiersch (Munich) was called ‘Granite II’. Contrary to the spirit of the times, the architects deliberately chose not to design a steel bridge, but rather a stone bridge that would blend in attractively with the backdrop of the old town. Construction work began at the end of May 1903. The largest contribution to the financing for the new bridge came from the municipal authority’s share in returns from the Christoph Merian Foundation; the construction costs amounted to more than 3 million Swiss francs. The new bridge was inaugurated on the 11th of November 1905. Urbanistically compelling and elegant, it soon became a new landmark for Basel.
Bildquelle: Privatsammlung