the Elstertal Bridge, Germany

This is the second largest brick railway bridge in the world after the Göltzschtalbrücke (Göltzsch Valley Viaduct), also in Germany.  This one is 279 metres long and 68 metres high on two levels.  It was built in the course of the construction of the Leipzig–Hof line of the Sächsisch-Bayerische Staatseisenbahn (Saxon-Bavarian State Railway). The foundation stone was laid on 7 November 1846 and up to 800 workers worked on the bridge from 1846 to 1851, laying 12 million bricks. In contrast to the Göltzsch Viaduct, which is only 9 metres higher, it was built with normally shaped arches on only two levels. The lower level has five piers, four of which are built as double piers. The foundations of the piers and the deck were built out of slabs of granite.

In the last days of the WW2, on 16 April 1945, the Wehrmacht partially demolished the bridge to impede the Russian advance. This meant that trains from the southwest could only run as far as Röttis and from the northeast only as far as Jocketa. A temporary bridge was erected by attaching a steel truss to the remains of the demolished central supporting pier, which supported the girders of a timber bridge. Being important, it was reopened to traffic in February 1946. The final reconstruction of the two collapsed brick arches was completed in October 1950.

The top of the lower arches now carries a hiking trail; there are plaques on this level showing the reconstruction after WW2.

Plaque referring to the rebuilding of the damaged viaduct after WW2