Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge

The Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge is a modern road bridge in Luxembourg City, southern Luxembourg. It carries the N51 across the Alzette valley, joining Avenue John F. Kennedy in Kirchberg to Boulevard Robert Schuman in Limpertsberg. The bridge is painted red and is often called the Red Bridge by residents. It links the historic city centre on the Luxembourg plateau with Kirchberg, where the European Union institutions are located. The bridge’s box-girder structure was designed by German architect Egon Jux and assembled from large steel sections transported from Germany. The bridge was officially named after Grand Duchess Charlotte in 1963 and opened to traffic in 1966. It was built to improve access to the Kirchberg plateau, which was difficult to reach before. The construction involved lifting twin box girders into place and testing the bridge with twelve Belgian M48 Patton tanks. In later years the bridge was resurfaced, repainted and fitted with safety barriers. Between 2015 and 2018 it was widened and strengthened to carry trams again for the first time since the 1960s. Visitors walk or cycle across the 355-metre deck, 75 metres above the river. The deck now has wide pedestrian paths, a two-lane tram route and separate traffic lanes in each direction. New LED lighting along the safety barriers illuminates the structure without tall posts. The bridge’s red steel girders stand out clearly in misty weather. Below, the Alzette flows through the Pfaffenthal valley, linking the city’s old quarters with the modern European district on the plateau.