At Breisach, a bridge spanning the Rhine has existed since Roman times. The earliest mention of a medieval timber bridge dates to 1263. At that time, it was the only permanent Rhine crossing between Basel and the North Sea. Over the centuries, the bridge was repeatedly damaged by Rhine floods, destroyed, and rebuilt. In 1700, the old Rhine bridge was finally destroyed.
From 1640 onwards, the Jewish community of Breisach is believed to have used the bridge to access their first burial site in the Mackenheim Forest, located 18 km to the north.
During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), the German Empire annexed Alsace and Lorraine, transforming the bridge from an international border crossing into an “internal German bridge,” fundamentally altering Breisach’s character as a border town.
The New Railway Bridge of 1878
On 13 May 1874, the Grand Duchy of Baden (owners of the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways) and the German Empire (owners of the Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine) signed a treaty agreeing to construct a 22.35 km railway line between Breisach and Colmar. This included a new Rhine bridge, initially built as a single-track structure but designed to accommodate a second track. The bridge was primarily constructed for military purposes.
Construction began in 1875, and the bridge was opened on 5 January 1878. While primarily intended for civilian use, the railway carried express trains to and from Munich, as well as regional and freight traffic. During the First World War, the military heavily relied on the bridge to supply the Western Front, with thousands of German soldiers transported to the front lines or sent home on leave.
After Germany’s defeat in 1918, the Treaty of Versailles transferred ownership of the bridge to France in its entirety. Breisach station was subsequently expanded into a joint border station.
The 1919 Expulsion of 200,000 Germans from Alsace
Following the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles required Germany to cede Alsace-Lorraine back to France. To secure these reclaimed territories, the French government pursued a policy of assimilation. Residents were categorised into four groups based on their ancestry. Those falling into Category D—residents or descendants of families originally from Germany or Austria-Hungary—were forced to leave Alsace. The majority of these expulsions were processed via the Breisach Rhine Bridge and its border station, turning Freiburg into a major refugee hub for displaced German Alsatians.
The Interwar Period (1919–1939)
By 1936, passenger services between Breisach and Colmar had dwindled to just three shuttle trains per day. The border restrictions devastated Breisach’s economy, as special permits were required to cross into neighbouring countries. The traditional ties between Baden and Alsace were almost entirely severed.
Destruction at the Outbreak of the Second World War
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, French forces destroyed two western flood bridges and the adjacent main pier on 12 October 1939 to prevent German use. However, as foot traffic across the remaining structure remained possible, German engineers demolished an eastern section of the bridge on 20 October 1939. Similar fates befell all Rhine bridges between Basel and Karlsruhe.
Quasi-Annexation of Alsace and the Emergency Railway Bridge (1940)
After occupying Alsace in June 1940, German forces hurriedly repaired the bridge for emergency rail use. By 25 July 1940, it became the first destroyed bridge on the Upper Rhine to be operational again. This repair also enabled the deportation of over 5,600 Jews from Baden to the French internment camp at Gurs, at the foot of the Pyrenees, in October 1940.
Reconstruction and Final Destruction (1942–1945)
In 1942, construction began to replace the provisional wartime structure with a permanent new bridge. This bridge was inaugurated on 10 May 1944. However, its strategic importance made it a frequent target for Allied air raids. As Allied forces advanced, German engineers destroyed the bridge on the night of 4–5 February 1945 to prevent its capture. All sections collapsed into the Rhine, severing connections between Baden and Alsace once more. Rail services from Breisach to the west ceased entirely. Modern Plans for Reconstruction
Since the 1990s, discussions have been ongoing on both sides of the Rhine about re-establishing a continuous railway connection between Freiburg and Colmar. Such a link would allow Deutsche Bahn to connect more efficiently to the French TGV network in Colmar. The project was formalised in the 2019 Aachen Treaty between Germany and France, with concrete plans for the route to be restored by 2030. More than 80 years after the end of the Second World War, this vital connection between France, Alsace, and Germany may finally be rebuilt.
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