Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge

The bridge passes 74 m over Pfaffenthal, which lies along the steep valley of the Alzette, and connects Kirchberg (right) to Limpertsberg (left).

Another view of the Grand Duchess Charlotte bridge.

The Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge (Luxembourgish: Groussherzogin-Charlotte-Bréck, French: Pont Grande-Duchesse Charlotte, German: Großherzogin-Charlotte-Brücke) is a road bridge in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg.

It carries the N51 across the Alzette, connecting the Avenue John Fitzgerald Kennedy, in Kirchberg, to Boulevard Robert Schuman, in Limpertsberg. The bridge is also known as the Red Bridge (Luxembourgish: Rout Bréck, German: Rote Brücke, French: Pont Rouge) on account of its distinctive red paintwork.

It is the main route connecting the city centre, Ville Haute, to Kirchberg, the site of the city's European Union institutions. It was built with the intention of promoting the choice of Luxembourg as the final seat of the European Communities. While the bridge was under construction, the Merger Treaty was signed, maintaining the previous separation of locations, but preserving Luxembourg as the location of several institutions.

German architect Egon Jux designed the bridge, beating 68 competitors in a competition launched by Luxembourg's government in 1957. Construction began in 1962, with official groundbreaking on 20 June 1963 by Charlotte, then Grand Duchess. Construction was finished in 1965, and the bridge opened in October 1966. It is named after Charlotte.

References

• Kinnen, Ferdinand (1967). "Construction de Pont Grande-Duchesse Charlotte". Revenue technique luxembourgeoise 4. http://www.pch.public.lu/infrastructure/ponts_viaducs/pont_grande-duchesse-charlotte/construction_roud-breck.pdf. 

External links

• Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge at Structurae. Retrieved on 2010-05-25.
• "Pont Grande-Duchesse Charlotte". Administration des ponts et chaussées. 18 July 2007. http://www.pch.public.lu/infrastructure/ponts_viaducs/pont_grande-duchesse-charlotte/index.html. Retrieved 24 May 2010.