One of the interesting things about traveling in Europe is that you get to see old stone bridges. Some of them are even older than the United States.

They make for great photographs, and today I will share one of them with you.

This bridge is known as the Burgauer Brücke or Burgau Bridge. Another name that it has been know by is the Old Saale Bridge, as it passes over the Saale river.

The Burgauer Brücke is in Jena-Burgau, which is in the south part of Jena, Germany.

The bridge was built on the site of an older wooden bridge. The older bridge was in existence by at least 1484. The wooden bridge was replaced by a stone bridge sometime in the late 1400’s or early 1500’s.

The bridge has been rebuilt or refurbished several times over the centuries. In 1945, during WWII, the bridge was blown up. I have a picture somewhere of the bridge when it was in the process of being rebuilt between 2001 and 2004. I just can’t seem to figure out where I put it, or I would have included it :-).

The bridge is now only used for foot traffic and it is very nice to walk across. It is in a very peaceful setting and you can stop to watch the water flowing over a small waterfall just in front of it.

I really like this picture with the old wagon. I can just imagine a yoke of oxen pulling it across the bridge loaded with hay or other farm goods.

The fog also adds to the ambiance and the sun peeking out from the clouds behind me gives a nice reflection of the bridge in the calm water. If you look closely you can see the curve of the falls as the reflection recedes from the base of the bridge as the water level drops.

I hope that you enjoy the picture of the Burgau Bridge. I have more bridge pictures that I plan on posting in the future.

Steven