Stein, Holzbrücke. Foto/Photo: TES.

(Deutsch) Die längste gedeckte Holzbrücke

The wooden bridge connects the German town of Bad Säckingen (Baden Württemberg) with the municipality of Stein in the Fricktal (canton of Aargau).
It is the longest-covered wooden bridge, 204 meters, in Europe.

The wooden bridge was first mentioned in the annals of Colmar in 1272 and consisted of twelve wooden pillars. The wooden bridge was several times destroyed by wars and floods but was rebuilt each time. The wooden bridge was completely closed during the Second World War.

After having belonged to the House of Habsburg-Austria for more than 500 years, the Fricktal and the Rhine became the national border between Germany and Switzerland due to political developments (Lunéville Peace, 1801). The Fricktal was Austrian until 1799.

Between the Grand Duchy of Baden and the Canton of Aargau, the greatest depth of the Rhine was the national border, but in the case of bridges, the middle of the bridge.

A bridge toll financed the maintenance of the bridge until the middle of the 19th century. The Swiss side collected the money in the bridge house.