Berlin´s schönste Brücke,die Oberbaumbrücke.

Описание: Crossing the River Spree, the original bridge known as the Oberbaumbrücke
Oberbaumbrucke, Berlin
was built in the early 1700s and was a small wooden structure. The word "baum" means tree in German, and the bridge is said to have gotten its name from the tree trunk barriers that were placed at each end of the bridge at dark, in order to prevent passage and decrease smuggling.

The tiny bridge was modified in 1879 to accommodate heavier traffic and became the longest bridge in Berlin, at 154 meters (505 feet). As Berlin grew, however, the bridge was still not big enough for the city's swelling population. Plans began for a new bridge, which would open in 1896.

The New Bridge
As the city considered plans for the new bridge, they decided that it should accommodate not only pedestrians and road vehicles, but also the new
The Oberbaumbrücke in Berlin
U-Bahn (subway) that was being planned for the city of Berlin. The architect and government official, Otto Stahn, designed the new double-decker bridge using North German gothic brick, in the style of a city gate, with many unique decorative elements like pointed arches and ornate coats of arms. The two towers near the center are strictly ornamental.

The U-Bahn crossed the bridge for the first time in 1902, and by the 1920s, the bridge served to connect two of Berlin's newest districts, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg.

The middle section of the Oberbaumbrücke was blown up during World War II to stop the Red Army from crossing. After the war, the bridge was repaired and served to connect the American and Soviet sectors of the bridge.

However, when the Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961, the bridge became the property of
Oberbaumbrücke
East Berlin and, beginning in 1963, the Oberbaumbrücke was used as a pedestrian border crossing for West Berlin residents only.