Lehener Bridge

The Lehener Brücke is a bridge in the Salzburg district of Lehen, north of the Altstadt (Old Town). It is one of the three most important bridges in central Salzburg, with the other two being the Staatsbrücke and the Karolinenbrücke, respectively (upstream). The current Lehener Brücke was built in 1966/1967; the bridge previously at this site was called "Erzherzog Ludwig Viktor Brücke", a name sometimes still used for this bridge.

This first bridge at this site was opened in 1902, after a political argument that had lasted several years: Neither the people in Lehen, nor those in Mülln wanted the bridge in their neighbourhood. In the end, those of Mülln won and the bridge was built in Lehen. It was opened by the Habsburg Archduke after whom it was named: Erzherzog Ludwig Viktor, the youngest brother of Emperor Franz Josef I.

The "banning" of Ludwig Viktor aka Luziwuzi

Years before, Ludwig Viktor had been "exiled" to Schloss Klessheim in the outskirts of Salzburg because of a major scandal he had caused in Vienna. Known to be prickly and difficult, he drew media attention after getting into a fight with an officer whom he had harassed in a men′s sauna.

Ludwig Viktor, also called Luziwuzi, was not only gay, but also the enfant terrible of his brothers. Surprisingly, he became very popular in Salzburg, where he spent the rest of his life. He donated money to charitable causes, was active in the cultural scene and the chairman of the fairly new Red Cross of Salzburg. He did in Salzburg in 1919.

The Erzherzog Ludwig Viktor Bridge proved to be sufficient for some 50 years; in 1954, it was broadened and supplemented with cyclist lanes. After the war, the rapidly increasing traffic became too much to handle for the Imperial construction. In 1966, it was demolished and replaced by the current Lehener Brücke: Four lanes for cars (which enthusiastically use them - expect heavy traffic at pretty much every time of the day) and two lanes for pedestrians and cyclists. The bridge is property of the Republic of Austria.

Hidden Treasures of Salzburg

Links

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%BCcken_Salzburgs
German Wikipedia on the bridges of Salzburg

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