Blaues Wunder

The Blaues Wunder, officially the Loschwitzer Brücke, is a steel bridge over the Elbe between Loschwitz and Blasewitz that opened in 1893.

The Blaues Wunder's pale steel truss bridge spanning the Elbe under a blue sky with white clouds, geese and ducks on the shingle bank in the foreground.

Kora27 Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

What it is

It is a riveted steel truss bridge of the kind called a stiffened suspension bridge, designed by the civil engineer Claus Köpcke. It was built together with the Saxon ironworks Königin-Marien-Hütte. The bridge spans the river without piers in the water.

History

The bridge was built from 1891 to 1893. In the past its appearance drew criticism, and engineers, architects and planners repeatedly called for its demolition and replacement. The bridge was not destroyed in 1945.

The name

The name refers to the bridge's blue colour and to the technical achievement of building it. The bridge was painted blue from the day it opened. The story that it was first green is wrong.

Seeing it

Checked 11 October 2026 The city is renovating the bridge in two halves, and the work is under way. The city's page on the renovation has the traffic details. Check the operator's own page before you go.

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