Partnachklamm: Iron bridge after storm damage can no longer be saved

Created: 05/17/2022, 05:30

By: Josef Hornsteiner

The iron bridge over the gorge has been in danger of collapsing since a tree fell on the scaffolding.

© Private

Steel construction over the Partnach Gorge from 1914 has to give way to a new building.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

– No one knows exactly who built it.

Rudolf Achtner has already meticulously rummaged through the community archive – and found nothing.

The only thing that is certain is that the Iron Bridge over the Partnach Gorge was already there as a wooden variant in 1864: so that lumberjacks could advance into the area and do their work long before the Partnach Gorge below was opened up for tourism.

That didn't happen until 1910. And shortly afterwards, in 1914, unknown persons erected the Iron Bridge in its present form - until a storm destroyed the structure in February.

A tree crashed into it.

Now it has to be demolished because the 108-year-old bridge is in danger of collapsing.

It has been blocked since February 7th.

In the best-case scenario, it should now be upgraded again before the G7 summit meeting in Schloss Elmau at the end of June – or at least a temporary scaffolding should be erected across the gorge.

Achtner now presented the time and financing plans to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Main and Finance Committee.

With the demolition, replacement and completion of the new bridge, the entire package will cost around 300,000 euros, which is not budgeted for.

But rehabilitation is out of the question: "There's nothing left to save," assures Achtner.

The bridge has to go, only the foundation from 2014/2015 can remain.

80 percent funding thanks to good negotiating skills

Mayor Elisabeth Koch (CSU) has put a lot of effort into obtaining funding.

In the course of numerous talks surrounding the G7 summit in Elmau, she was able to convince politicians to actively support the construction of the bridge.

The bottom line is that a whopping 80 percent of the costs are now being covered by the Free State of Bavaria.

But the remaining 20 percent must also be financed.

That's why there are certain savings, as Achtner explains - by postponing planned but not urgently needed projects to next year.

For example, the purchase of a solar press rubbish bin, the paving in front of the ticket office, the change of route at the Madonna and the ice fall protection at the northern entrance to the Partnachklamm.

A new offer can also be made by Achtner 2023 for the planned multi-generational play area.

Furthermore, there are no costs for the new construction of a shed for the wheel loader in the building yard, since the water management office issued a building ban in January, as well as for some road construction measures that cannot be implemented this year due to the additional burden from the G7 summit.

The iron bridge has a very important role in the Partnachklamm footpath network

Once again, Achtner underlined the important task of the bridge.

As a central connection in the network of footpaths, it is an important building block in the overall Klamm spectacle.

That is why the renewal should be completed as soon as possible.

A helicopter, the so-called "Super-Puma", will retrieve the 3.6-ton steel structure from the gorge in two flights.

Koch would have liked to have positioned the bridge as a historical monument somewhere in the market town - similar to the blue locomotive of the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn on Rathaus-Platz.

"After all, the bridge survived two world wars."

But this dream seems to be bursting: According to the mayor, the construct cannot be transported in its entirety and will probably have to be cut up.

She has already checked that, she says.

"Not that a foreigner would come up with the idea of ​​immediately wanting to place it under monument protection." With this, the head of town hall is alluding to the current debate about the Hohenleitner house in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where, as is well known, the preservationists were unexpectedly called into action and the demolition of the building is protracted enormously.