Reichsbrücke
Shortly before 5am on 1 August 1976, the bridge that survived World War II fell into the Danube.
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The Reichsbrücke is the only Vienna Danube crossing that escaped WWII intact — Soviet troops arrived before the Wehrmacht could detonate it, and the bridge was briefly renamed the Red Army Bridge. Peacetime proved less kind: a bearing failure hidden beneath granite cladding brought the whole span down at dawn in 1976, killing one person. The rebuilt bridge now carries six lanes, U-Bahn tracks, two cyclepaths, and two footpaths across to the Donauinsel.
What to look for
- Suspension bridge profile shaped by architects Theiß and Jaksch with artistic direction from Clemens Holzmeister, completed October 1937
- The parallel infrastructure running side by side: U-Bahn rails, six road lanes, dedicated cyclepaths, and footpaths — all on one crossing
- Mexikoplatz on the Leopoldstadt approach — the bridge appeared as a filming location in The Third Man in 1948
Walk or cycle across on the dedicated paths; the U-Bahn also crosses here if you want a river-level view from the train.
Reichsbrücke is one of 39 sights worth the detour in Vienna, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Vienna pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Vienna
- Schönbrunn PalaceHabsburg emperors were born here, ruled from here, and died here — 1,441 rooms of Baroque ambition spanning 300 years.
- St. Stephen's CathedralA cathedral consecrated in 1147 as crusaders prepared to march — and built on top of a Roman burial ground that nobody knew was there until 2000.
- BelvederePrince Eugene built this summer palace on Ottoman campaign winnings — it is now three art museums inside a World Heritage Baroque garden.
- Hofburg PalaceSeven centuries of Austrian rulers worked from this address — the current president still does.
- Vienna State OperaThe first major building on Vienna's Ring Road, and the house where Vienna Philharmonic musicians earn their seats.
- Ernst-Happel-StadionBuilt for workers' sport in 1931, this 50,865-seat bowl also served as a transit prison for over 1,000 Jewish deportees in 1939.