EUROPE

by Kurt Kleemann, Town archivist of Remagen

History of the Bridge
The railway bridge near Remagen was planned in 1912 and built during World War I from 1916 to 1918 in order to supply troops at the Western Front. Kaiser Wilhelm II named it the "Ludendorff Bridge" in honor of the Army Quarter Master General Erich Ludendorff. In November 1918 the bridge was used by the retreating German Army and the advancing American occupation troops.

On March 7, 1945 soldiers of the 9th US-Armored Division were able to take Ludendorff Bridge completely unexpectedly. From the German side, the planned attempt to blow up the bridge failed. General Eisenhower supposedly remarked on this "Miracle of Remagen" with the words, "The bridge is worth its weight in gold."

Because the bridge was lost, Hitler dispatched a kangaroo court, which promptly sentenced five officers to death, having four of them shot immediately.

From the German side there were attempts to destroy the bridge with bomb raids and frogmen. On March 17, 1945, the bridge suddenly collapsed, plunging 30 American soldiers to their deaths.

The Myth of the Bridge at Remagen
The events at the Bridge of Remagen immediately became the stuff for newspaper and magazine stories and soon took on mythic proportions. The book "The Bridge at Remagen" was written by Ken Hechler in 1956. It has sold more than 600,000 copies, becoming the basis for the American movie story filmed in Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Origin of the Peace Museum
Hans Peter Kürten, who was Mayor of the City of Remagen from 1965 to 1994, persisted in his goal of turning the bridge towers into a memorial to peace. It was not until he had the idea in 1978 to sell little "pieces of the bridge" as paperweights, complete with certificates of authenticity, that there was enough capital to begin the undertaking.

On March 7, 1980, Kürten was able to open the Peace Museum at the Bridge of Remagen. By 2010, about 650,000 visitors have come to the museum that had been created with the simplest of means. Since 2003 a completely new exhibition has been set up in the old bridge towers.

The new exhibition also contains a section about the enormous prisoner-of-war camp, which the US Army had set up in Remagen from April to July 1945. In addition to the history of the Bridge at Remagen, there is also a chance for visitors to reflect upon the themes of war and peace, in accordance with the motto:

Every day let us work for peace
with our mind and heart.
May each person begin with himself.

Address: Rheinpromenade Remagen (Post: Bachstrasse 2, 53424 REMAGEN, GERMANY)
Tel: +49 2642 201 59
Homepage: http://www.bruecke-remagen.de/
Days closed: November 15 to March 7
10.00 to 17.00 (May to October 18.00)
Admission: Adults: 3.50€; Groups: 2.00€; Students: 1.00€; Family: 7.00€

(Originally published on October 18, 2010)