Geierlay
 The Geierlay crossing a valley | |
| Descendant | Underspanned suspension bridge, Suspended-deck suspension bridge, Stressed ribbon bridge |
|---|---|
| Carries | Pedestrians, livestock |
| Span range | 360 m |
| Material | Wood, steel wire rope |
| Movable | No |
The Geierlay is a suspension bridge in the low mountain range of the Hunsrück in western Germany. It was opened in 2015.[1] It has a span range of 360 metres (1,180 ft) and is up to 100 metres (330 ft) above ground. On both sides of the bridge are the villages of Mörsdorf and Sosberg. A stream named Mörsdorfer Bach runs through the valley below the bridge.[2] The nearest city is Kastellaun 8 km eastwards. The state capital Mainz is 66 km towards east.
The bridge has a weight of 57 tons and can support 50 tons.[2] It is a pedestrians only bridge. Until 2020, bridge was free for tourists. [3] Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a fee of 5 euros per person was introduced for crossing the bridge. The crossing is only possible from the side of the village of Mörsdorf. Twenty per cent of all visitors visiting the bridge do not cross it.[4] The bridge site is within the Top 100 sightseeing destinations in Germany.[4]
Swiss Engineer Hans Pfaffen designed the bridge with similarities to Nepalese suspension bridges.[5]
Since 2017 the Geierlay is only the second longest suspension rope bridge in Germany.[6]
References[]
- ^ "Geierlay-Brücke im Hunsrück: Hängebrücke wird zum Touristenmagneten - FOCUS Online". Focus.de (in German). 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ a b "Hängeseilbrücke Geierlay". Kastellaun.de. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ "HÄNGESEILBRÜCKE GEIERLAY : Fragen & Antworten" (PDF). Hunsruecktouristik.de (in German). Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ a b "Deutschland: Die längste Hängeseilbrücke der Republik - SPIEGEL ONLINE". Spiegel.de. 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ "Fakten & Technik - Hängeseilbrücke Geierlay". Geierlay.de. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ "Hängeseilbrückenerlebnis: die Geierlaybrücke im Hunsrück". reisemagazin-online.com. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
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- Bridges completed in 2015
- Suspension bridges in Germany
- Pedestrian bridges in Germany
- Hunsrück
- Hiking trails in Rhineland-Palatinate
- German building and structure stubs
- European bridge (structure) stubs