Today's discovery tour takes us to the landmark of the Vogtland - the Göltzschtal bridge, but first we make a short detour.
A detour to Mylau Castle
Our first destination is Mylau Castle, as the permanent exhibition provides a great insight into the creation of the Göltzschtal Bridge and the various designs that existed.
Mylau Castle in northern Vogtland is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Saxony. Originally built as a princely residence around 1180, it passed into bourgeois ownership around 1770 and underwent a functional change in the 19th century to become a factory - a spinning mill. The castle was later used as a town hall and is now a museum.
The building's history is as changeable as its use. There are elements ranging from Romanesque to Art Nouveau. All the major architectural styles are immortalized in the castle.
A competition for the construction of the Göltzschtal Bridge
A small part of the exhibition is dedicated to the construction of the Göltzsch Valley Bridge. The greatest challenge in building the railroad line between Leipzig and Hof was overcoming the Göltzsch valley.
A competition organized by the railroad company had four, sometimes very abstruse, proposals as winners, none of which were statically convincing. For me, the most unbelievable of these is a bridge with two storeys, in which the second storey was to be used as a prison. Or a huge dam that has no openings and is simply a bulwark made of stone is also very spectacular.
In the end, the head of the inspection committee set about planning the project himself. He used individual ideas from the submissions and incorporated his own experience from building a viaduct a few years previously.
What was completely unusual, however, was that he used brick as a building material, with only a few particularly heavily used areas being made of granite. Brick was used because clay was available in the area and bricks could therefore be procured quickly and cheaply. After all, 50,000 bricks were needed per day.
Construction began in 1846 and only 5 years later, on July 15, 1851, the opening of the imposing structure was celebrated. At 574 m, the Götzschtal Bridge is not only the longest brick bridge in the world, but also the first bridge made of bricks that was statically calculated. An incredible 26 million bricks were used
The huge viaduct has 98 arches spanning the Göltzsch valley. At 78 m high, the Göltzsch Valley Bridge was also the highest bridge in the world at the time.
The regularity of the arches had to be changed during construction, as there was no solid ground at the bottom of the valley. Two huge arches were built here, which made the structure even more impressive.
At the foot of the Götzschtal Bridge, a beer garden invites you to linger and marvel at the bridge. If you are in the Vogtland, make sure you take a detour to the largest brick bridge in the world - it's well worth it.
The best distant view of the Göltzschatal bridge
The monumental structure of the Göltzschtal Bridge can be seen from numerous places in the surrounding area. But the most beautiful view by far is from Netzschkau. There is a small rest area here with a swing on a tree. Simply wonderful.
The viewpoint is located in Netzschkau near Hermann-Löns-Straße or in the extension of the Reinsdorfer Weg. At the very end before the field, you walk just a few meters to the rest area with a sensational view.
Tips for excursion destinations in the area:
- Numerous excursion destinations await you in the nearby residential town of Greiz (just under 8 km)
- Reichenbach is also only a few minutes away by car (just under 5 km)
- you have a great view over the Vogtland from the Kuhberg tower near Brockau (Bismarck tower, approx. 5 km)
- Nearby you will find Netzschkau Castle, one of the first residential castles in Saxony, built in 1492 in the Baroque style (approx. 2 km)
- and the alum mine in Mühlwand (approx. 5 km)
- and Kappels Floßteiche (approx. 8 km)
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Today's discovery tour takes us to the Vogtland's landmark - the Göltzschtal Bridge, but first we make a short detour to Mylau Castle. Mylau Castle in northern Vogtland is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Saxony and has had various functions over the course of history, such as a princely seat, factory and town hall. The architectural history of the castle reflects various architectural styles from Romanesque to Art Nouveau.
Part of the exhibition in Mylau Castle is dedicated to the construction of the Göltzschtal Bridge, the greatest challenge in the construction of the railroad line between Leipzig and Hof. Following a competition in which various proposals were submitted, construction began in 1846 and was completed in 1851. At 574 m long, the Göltzschtal Bridge is the longest brick bridge in the world and was the first bridge made of bricks to be statically calculated.
The distant view of the Göltzschtal bridge from Netzschkau is particularly impressive, with a small rest area and a swing on the tree. There are also many other excursion destinations in the surrounding area, such as the royal seat of Greiz, Reichenbach, the Kuhberg tower near Brockau, Netzschkau Castle, the alum mine in Mühlwand and the raft ponds at Kappels. The entire area around the Göltzschtal bridge therefore offers many opportunities for beautiful excursions and explorations.
