The World's Largest Railway Bridge: 26 Million Bricks and Dozens of Lost Lives

The Göltzsch Viaduct, the largest brick bridge in the world, stands as a technical marvel of its time. Constructed between 1846 and 1851 from over 26 million bricks, it rises to a height of 78 meters and spans 584 meters across the Göltzsch Valley. Built for the Leipzig-Nuremberg railway line, this bridge remains a symbol of industrial progress and architectural mastery.

RAILTARGET has now turned its attention to the oldest surviving brick bridge in the world. Construction of the Göltzsch Viaduct began in 1846 and was completed in 1851. The bridge, made from more than 26 million bricks, stands 78 meters high and 584 meters long.

Around 23,000 tree trunks were used during its construction, and more than 1,700 workers labored on the project each month. Unfortunately, several hundred workers were injured, with a total of approximately 1,300 injuries, including 31 fatalities.

This bridge was a true curiosity in its day. While most bridges at the time stood around 30 meters tall and struggled with structural integrity due to inadequate static calculations, the Göltzsch Viaduct was in a league of its own. As part of the Leipzig-Nuremberg railway construction, the Saxon-Bavarian Railway Company needed to build two bridges of unprecedented dimensions.

Despite the project's complexity, no suitable alternative route could be found. A competition was held to design the project, offering a prize of 1,000 thalers for the best proposal. However, none of the submitted designs were technically sound. At that time, there were no universally applicable methods for static calculations, so each engineer had to devise their own solution for a specific structure.

The project’s structural engineer was Professor Johannes Andreas Schubert, born in 1808 in Vogtland. After graduating from the Industrial Construction School in Leipzig, he became a professor at the Technical Education Institute in Dresden in 1832. In 1839, he contributed to the construction of Germany's first locomotive, the Saxonia, and also designed the first steamboat on the Elbe, the Queen Maria. Schubert was a member of the evaluation committee for construction projects around Vogtland and, in 1845, developed the mathematical design for the Göltzsch Viaduct.

Construction of the bridge began in 1846, with completion and opening to the public in 1851. At the time, the Göltzsch Viaduct was the highest railway bridge in the world and remains the largest brick bridge globally. The new railway connection from Vogtland through Dresden and Leipzig to Bavaria, Austria, and Italy brought significant economic benefits to all the regions involved. The number of private journeys for tourism and work purposes also increased dramatically, as was typical following the expansion of the railway network. The abundant clay deposits found near the construction site were utilized to open brickyards, which fueled the massive demand for the 26 million bricks needed for the Göltzsch Viaduct. Additionally, wooden scaffolding had to be constructed for all the arches, which required the felling of approximately 23,000 trees.

Who was involved in the construction?

Robert Wilke, the chief engineer of the Saxon-Bavarian Railway Company, served as the chief construction manager for the Göltzsch Viaduct from 1846 to 1851. Ferdinand Dost, who became an engineer in 1841, assisted with the project and worked on bridging the river before the Göltzsch Valley. Over 1,700 workers labored on the project daily, with many sustaining injuries due to the lack of safety standards. Many workers fell from the scaffolding, leading to an estimated 1,300 injuries and 31 deaths during construction.

Source: Bridgeinfo.net; Atlas Obscura