Viadukt Beckerbrücke

Some wanted to preserve it, others were against it. Should the railway viaduct on Annaberger Straße be demolished or preserved? This was the question that arose between 2015 and 2018. At stake was nothing less than a city landmark, an industrial monument and an authentic testament to Chemnitz’s transport history.

The railway viaduct on Annaberger Straße arches elegantly over the River Chemnitz. Together with the Wirkbau industrial estate to the south – formerly the Schubert and Salzer engineering works – it provides an impressive backdrop from the heyday of Chemnitz’s industrial history. Now over 100 years old, the railway viaduct has survived two world wars and withstood the elements and the ravages of time.

The viaduct forms part of the Dresden–Werdau line and is part of the so-called Saxony Main Line. Originally, trains ran on four tracks here; now they run on just two pairs of tracks.

As early as 1858, when the first railway line from Chemnitz to Zwickau was established, a long, multi-span stone bridge was built across the Chemnitz river valley near the city centre and the Annaberger Chaussee. This bridge not only had structural defects but was also too narrow, with only a single track. As industrialisation progressed, more and more goods had to be transported from A to B. The engineering solutions were tunnels and steel bridges.

A bold project was conceived after 1900. It envisaged a four-track, 275-metre-long steel bridge structure that was to span the River Chemnitz and several carriageways at a height of over 20 metres. Strictly speaking, it consisted of four parallel truss bridges, combining arch bridges with beam bridge segments. The arch bridge is one of the oldest forms in the history of civil engineering. The steel was supplied and installed at the time by the Königin Marienhütte in Cainsdorf. The monumental iron structure was erected between 1904 and 1908, right next to the old stone arch bridge.

In 2015, Deutsche Bahn AG, as the owner, planned to demolish the viaduct – it was to be replaced by a concrete structure. A protracted planning approval process was initiated. However, opposition began to mount: Alongside the heritage authorities and Chemnitz City Council, members of the Viadukt e.V. association also spoke out against the demolition and, from then on, campaigned with great dedication for the preservation of this industrial and transport heritage site. Expert reports were met with counter-reports. Surveys were launched and signatures collected. Heated debates took place at panel discussions. Demolition or preservation?

In 2018, the welcome news arrived: the viaduct is to remain! The Federal Railway Authority’s planning approval decision thus followed the recommendations of the Saxony State Directorate and did not grant permission for the demolition planned by Deutsche Bahn. The decision obliged Deutsche Bahn to preserve the viaduct and carry out a restoration in line with heritage conservation principles.

After several years of construction, the viaduct was finally reopened with a ceremony in 2024. The track and overhead lines were renewed, and the more than 10,000 rivets in the 2,500-tonne structure were replaced. The viaduct now shines in new splendour and is well equipped for the next 100 years.