For the people of Regensburg, this sentence must have something from Marmot Day on it: the stone bridge is being repaired. Recently, a minibus drove against the parapet of the bridge with such great force that heavy granite chunks broke out and fell down onto the Jahninsel. Luckily, spring isn’t really getting under way, otherwise parts of the stone parapet might have fallen on revelers who traditionally lingered there.
Only the ancient structure has the damage now – again. According to the city, repair work began this Monday. To do this, scaffolding must first be erected on the Jahninsel and traffic safety on the bridge. As a result, “at the level of the accident site, a residual width of probably only 1.50 meters remains,” says the press release. This certainly brings back the worst memories for the locals. When the Steinerne was extensively renovated a few years ago, a parallel, very narrow second bridge had to be built to cross the Danube, on which cyclists and other people trampled each other to insanity. It was like this from 2010 to 2018!
Repairs to the Stone Bridge have meanwhile blossomed into a kind of running gag. Only increasingly with less gag than running. Something has to be done all the time. As is the case with somewhat outdated buildings. And because the Steinerne is something special, it is usually expensive and time-consuming. The city estimates that the repair of the parapet will cost around 75,000 euros.
Contrary to what the photos of the minibus hanging over the parapet suggest, the Stone Bridge is a pedestrian bridge over the Danube on which cars have not been allowed to drive for years. Along with the cathedral, the historic building is considered Regensburg’s most important landmark and was also one of the reasons why Regensburg’s old town and the Stadtamhof district on the opposite bank of the Danube were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Wars, weather and getting lost in minibuses have had a severe impact on the bridge over the years. In 1997 it was completely closed to individual traffic. Since 2008, taxis and buses have also not been allowed to cross the Stone Bridge. It’s better that way, because the almost 900-year-old structure is the oldest stone bridge in Germany. For centuries it was the only fixed Danube crossing between Ulm and Vienna.
In short, you can’t take just any brick and bang it in. Getting the stone needed for the repair isn’t easy. It may be necessary to order “custom-made granite products,” according to the town hall. This can take several weeks.
One feels unpleasantly reminded of the younger fate of the Bruckmandl (bridge man). The figure is enthroned on the highest point of the bridge. It is supposed to represent the master bridge builder who, sitting on a plinth and holding his hand to his forehead, is looking out in the direction of the competition, namely the cathedral. On a December night in 2012, some vandal must have hit Mandl badly. In any case, the next day all that was left was the sandstone hand stuck to the brain – without an arm to go with it. So pitiful it stood there for almost two years, the Bruckmandl. When the money was finally scraped together to repair it, it was taken down and not seen again for four more years.
This time, however, the city is promising that the repairs to the parapet could be completed by the end of May. That would almost be a sensation.