Trier – Roman Bridge (Römerbrücke)

At first impressions this just looks like any other road bridge spanning a wide river, in this case the Moselle. However, it’s the oldest bridge in Germany and dates back to the second century AD. The upper part is modern, but the nine bridge pillars are all original Roman. The French destroyed the upper part of the bridge in 1689 and it was later widened in 1931.

The Germans didn’t destroy the bridge during their retreat during the Second World War, although this seems to be more down to technical problems than any desire to maintain the historic structure.

A plaque noting the antiquity of the bridge.

And a reconstruction of what part of the bridge would have looked like in Roman times.