Construction of Steel Bridges
For many years now SCHORISCH has stood for the professional planning, production, installation and maintenance of steel bridges for Europe’s waterways.
Malchow Swing Bridge
For 150 years it has been the tradition for the inhabitants of Malchow to use a swing bridge to get from their island to the mainland which lies to the west. Up to 1845 the only link spanning the lake (the “Malchower See”) was a wooden bridge. When in 1846 a road embankment was built to the mainland to the south-east, the fixed wooden bridge had to be replaced by a lift bridge, since otherwise shipping would no longer have been able to pass around the east side of the island.
In 1863 the lift bridge was replaced by the first swing bridge which was made of wood, and at least 100 years ago it was replaced by the first steel construction which was then destroyed in 1945. For a time the people of Malchow had to make do with a temporary wooden bridge once again. In 1948 a swing bridge was built, but in later years there wasn’t enough money available for its upkeep. Joy over the building of the steel swing bridge in the late 1980s was also short-lived. It lasted for just 21 years because the structure was unsound.
The current structure was commissioned by the construction company Köthenbürger HTI, and it was jointly designed, built and installed by SCHORISCH’s Karstädt works and HTS Hydrotechnik Schlestein. Now it has finally been built sturdily enough to last for at least a hundred years. What’s more, it also provides 40 centimetres of additional vertical clearance so that small boats can sail under it without having to wait for it to be opened. The swing bridge is 21.7 metres long and eleven metres wide, so it’s still a tourist attraction.
The new swing bridge to the island town of Malchow is classed as an historic monument. In visual terms it’s designed to resemble a yacht. This technical monument consists of thousands of individual parts which have been welded together to form its three sections. After the individual sections – each of which is 22 metres long and weighs 40 tonnes – were delivered to the construction site along the narrow streets of the old town, a heavy duty crane was used to lift each of them in turn onto the installation site on the landward shore of the lake. The drivers of the heavy-haulage trucks had very little room for manoeuvre on the approach roads. They had to reverse for almost a mile through the very narrow streets until they reached the unloading point. Everything went without a hitch.
The towers and counterweights as well as the drive system were also renewed and installed ready for operation. The renewed high-tech landmark weighs 120 tonnes.
The current structure was commissioned by the construction company Köthenbürger HTI, and it was jointly designed, built and installed by SCHORISCH’s Karstädt works and HTS Hydrotechnik Schlestein. Now it has finally been built sturdily enough to last for at least a hundred years. What’s more, it also provides 40 centimetres of additional vertical clearance so that small boats can sail under it without having to wait for it to be opened. The swing bridge is 21.7 metres long and eleven metres wide, so it’s still a tourist attraction.
The new swing bridge to the island town of Malchow is classed as an historic monument. In visual terms it’s designed to resemble a yacht. This technical monument consists of thousands of individual parts which have been welded together to form its three sections. After the individual sections – each of which is 22 metres long and weighs 40 tonnes – were delivered to the construction site along the narrow streets of the old town, a heavy duty crane was used to lift each of them in turn onto the installation site on the landward shore of the lake. The drivers of the heavy-haulage trucks had very little room for manoeuvre on the approach roads. They had to reverse for almost a mile through the very narrow streets until they reached the unloading point. Everything went without a hitch.
The towers and counterweights as well as the drive system were also renewed and installed ready for operation. The renewed high-tech landmark weighs 120 tonnes.
Lübeck Swing Bridge
For over 120 years the historic swing bridge in the port of Lübeck has ensured that the ancient island city has been securely connected to the mainland. The thorough renovation of the 320-tonne listed structure meant that it had to be hoisted by an ENAK floating crane in order to be transported from its site on the Stadttrave waterway to Wallhafen dock.
At this mobile construction site the steel workers from Karstädt replaced about 2,000 rivets with new round-headed high-tensile bolts. In addition, steel trusses, ties and metal plates were replaced as necessary and bolted into place. The water hydraulic system, a feature of bridge construction at the time when it was built, is also being brought up to date. This system enables the bridge to be raised by 16 centimetres so that it can then be turned sideways.
Warnemünde
It’s almost 44 metres in length, and it’s one of the oldest swing bridges in Germany. The railway bridge in Warnemünde can once again be reliably rotated through 90 degrees – all thanks to the steel workers from Karstädt in Brandenburg. The SCHORISCH team completely renewed the rotational drive system and the bearings as part of contract awarded by the Hanseatic City of Rostock.
The Baltic seaside resort’s swing bridge was brought into service in 1903, and it’s not the first listed technical monument that the engineers and craftsmen from Karstädt have renovated. This is because they are the recognised specialists for the renovation of land- and water-based old steel structures.
“The renewal of such structures which are showing their age requires precision planning as well as considerable expertise and experience, and the welding that is involved is crucially important. In Warnemünde too – where the total span of the railway station bridge is 41.50 metres – the work was carried out with the utmost precision.
The rotating section by itself is 29.5 metres long. With a width of 7.10 metres the steel giant weighs in at an impressive 56 tonnes as measured by load cells. In order to carry out the renovation and welding operations hydraulic presses were used to raise the bridge by 65 centimetres, and it was then placed on support chocks.
Warnemünde
It’s almost 44 metres in length, and it’s one of the oldest swing bridges in Germany. The railway bridge in Warnemünde can once again be reliably rotated through 90 degrees – all thanks to the steel workers from Karstädt in Brandenburg. The SCHORISCH team completely renewed the rotational drive system and the bearings as part of contract awarded by the Hanseatic City of Rostock.
The Baltic seaside resort’s swing bridge was brought into service in 1903, and it’s not the first listed technical monument that the engineers and craftsmen from Karstädt have renovated. This is because they are the recognised specialists for the renovation of land- and water-based old steel structures.
“The renewal of such structures which are showing their age requires precision planning as well as considerable expertise and experience, and the welding that is involved is crucially important. In Warnemünde too – where the total span of the railway station bridge is 41.50 metres – the work was carried out with the utmost precision.
The rotating section by itself is 29.5 metres long. With a width of 7.10 metres the steel giant weighs in at an impressive 56 tonnes as measured by load cells. In order to carry out the renovation and welding operations hydraulic presses were used to raise the bridge by 65 centimetres, and it was then placed on support chocks.
Renovation of Steel Bridges
