page_title: Alte Brücke (Frankfurt)
section_title: Development of the Main island and the Müllermain
hierarchical_section_title: Alte Brücke (Frankfurt) / Development of the Main island and the Müllermain
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Ausstellungshalle Neuer Portikus in Frankfurt am Main English: Exhibiton hall Neuer Portikus in Frankfurt, Germany
context_page_description: Alte Brücke is a bridge in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is the oldest bridge over the lower course of the river Main, and until 1886 it was the only stone bridge crossing the river. From the Middle Ages until the year 1914, it connected the "Fahrgasse" in Frankfurt Altstadt with the "Brückenstraße" in Sachsenhausen. Since its first mention in official documents in 1222, the development of Frankfurt has been strongly influenced by the bridge. Over the centuries, Alte Brücke has been destroyed and reconstructed at least 18 times. With its 13 brick-built circular arches, the Sachsenhausen Bridge was one of the most prominent buildings of the city, but failing to meet the increasing demands of the modern road and ship traffic, it was demolished in 1914.
  The current Alte Brücke, sometimes called "Neue Alte Brücke", was inaugurated on 15 August 1926 by then-Lord-Mayor Ludwig Landmann. Two of its originally eight red sandstone-lined vaults were blown up by German soldiers on 26 March 1945. After an initial provisional reconstruction, the middle part of the bridge was replaced by a steel through truss bridge and placed in operation again on 15 September 1965.
context_section_description: A noteworthy feature of the Alte Brücke is the Main island, the shape of which has varied over time. On older plans, for example on the plan of Matthäus Merian from 1628, three smaller islands can be seen above the Alte Brücke, while there is only a shoal visible in the river below the bridge. On city maps of the 18th century, these islands had mostly disappeared. Only in the 19th century, again, on pictures and plans, an island can be seen that is crossed by multiple small canals, sources and drains of the bridge mills.
  Back then, the Sachsenhausen Main riverside was located considerably more in the south than it is today. The about 20 metres wide upper wharf at the riverside road, and the 23 metres wide lower wharf had not been created before 1880; until then, the Main river reached up to the front of the first houses. Upside of the bridge, the Sachsenhausen city wall touched the river. The river branch between the island and the Sachsenhausen riverside are called "Müllermain" ("miller Main") today, because it carried the river water to the two bridge mills and the Sachsenhausen Mill in the south.
  In the course of the construction of the Neue Alte Brücke ("new old bridge"), the Main island has been consolidated as well. Today, it has a length of about 300 metres, and a width of about 30 metres, and is separated by the bridge in an upper island and a lower island. The area is densely vegetated with populars and willows, and it constitutes a breeding habitat for numerous aquatic birds. Furthermore, it is an important resting place for migratory birds. For these reasons, the island is not open to the public. It is not legally designated as a nature conservation area, but the municipal authorities of Frankfurt have pledged on 23 June 1977 to treat it like a nature conservation area.
  The narrow Müllermain is closed to normal ship traffic because of its low water depth. Some floating jetties exist, only for sport boats.
  On the Main island, between 2005 and 2006, an exhibition hall for contemporary art, called "Neuer Portikus" ("new porticus"), was constructed on the west side of the bridge. The solid brick building with a steep gable roof and a pointed gable towards the bridge has been designed by Christoph Mäckler, who also created the 2014 renovation plan for the Alte Brücke. The building name "Neuer Portikus" is derived from the porticus in front of the old city library at the Obermainbrücke ("upper Main bridge"). At this place, in a hall, art has been exhibited until the library was rebuilt from 2003 to 2005.
  East of the Alte Brücke, architect Mäckler had conceptualized another building, with a height of 30 metres. It was supposed to have a passageway at the bottom, for members of the rowing club, and it was planned to include a restaurant and four freehold flats above. This project was disputed, however, because it would have bulldozed a nearly untouched natural area in the middle of the city, and because it would have endangered multiple trees and a breeding site of numerous birds. Furthermore, according to a citizens' initiative, the initially meant not-for-profit project had become a "private investors' dream" with construction costs of 4 million Euro. After the citizens' initiative had collected over 6,000 signatures and multiple opposition factions had filed motions against the construction, the governing parties CDU und Alliance 90/The Greens released a joint press statement against the project, bringing the issue off the table.
caption: New "Portikus" (porticus) on the Main island
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