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Kaiserbrücke, Mainz

Bridge in Mainz

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionNov 24, 2025
Entity authorityQ328874 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Kaiserbrücke (English: Emperor Bridge), today officially the Nordbrücke (Northern Bridge), is a railway span on the Mainz rail bypass across the Rhine at the north end of Mainz in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Built between 1901 and 1904, it was named for the German Emperor Wilhelm II, who officially opened it on 1 May 1904. It formed an important part of the German railway system, as well as being an important logistical link for war transports (which were closely tied to railway infrastructure).

The bridge was destroyed in 1945 by retreating German troops. To forestall a second Remagen, the Germans by 19 March had blown all Rhine bridges from Ludwigshafen northward.

It was later reopened in 1955 as the Nordbrücke (Northern Bridge), with parts of the surviving foundations and sculptures adorning it incorporated into the new much less grand structure. The neo-roman gate castles were not rebuilt. The former arched trusses were also replaced with box trusses.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Kaiserbrücke, Mainz” as bridge in Mainz. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Kaiserbrücke, Mainz and Bridge.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1901, 1904, 1945, 1955—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1904. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Kaiserbrücke, Mainz and Bridge providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Kaiserbrücke, Mainz”, the useful work is to connect “bridge in Mainz” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 24, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q328874. Authority coordinates are 50.022, 8.253. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1901, 1904, 1945 and 1955.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Kaiserbrücke, Mainz”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Kaiserbrücke, Mainz primary sources, Kaiserbrücke, Mainz archive and Kaiserbrücke research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Kaiserbrücke, Mainz”?
  2. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Kaiserbrücke, Mainz” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.