Salzachbrücke

The Salzachbrücke is a historic road bridge that spans the Salzach River, linking the Bavarian town of Laufen with the Austrian town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg. Completed between 1901 and 1903 under Emperor Franz Joseph I and Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria, it remains the only vehicle crossing within 15 kilometres. The bridge carries the Bavarian Staatsstraße 2103 and the Austrian Landesstraße B 156a, meeting at its centre. Its iron, riveted framework rests on two concrete piers clad in natural stone, with spans of 39, 78 and 49 metres. Ornate iron pylons topped by gilded crowns and crowned with eagles stand above the piers, their surfaces decorated with historical coats of arms and Tritons’ masks. The bridge’s deck is 5 metres wide with two traffic lanes and 1.5-metre footpaths, sloping gently towards Oberndorf. Visitors walk across a structure that is 166 metres long, 60 per cent of it on German soil and 40 per cent on Austrian. The riverbed beneath the Austrian pier marks the national boundary, while lamp standards and simple railings guide each step. From the bridge the Salzach flows between gently rising banks, offering views upstream toward Salzburg and downstream toward the calmer reaches near Tittmoning.