Alte Brücke is what the name of the old bridge sounds like in German; it used to be the only crossing over the Main River. Now it has four lanes for vehicle traffic, but in the past it was a site of public executions: criminals were thrown from it into the river and drowned.
The Alte Brücke bridge, 137 meters long and 20 meters wide, is first mentioned in historical documents as early as the 13th century. At that time Frankfurt had become a developed center of trade, and naturally it simply needed transport routes. The stone crossing over the river that divides the city into two parts became a reliable support for commerce.
There is an interesting legend about the construction of the bridge. The master who was building it enlisted the support of the devil: he promised him help in exchange for the soul of the first living creature to step onto the bridge. The builder agreed, but let a rooster onto the crossing first, deceiving the evil force.
Alte Brücke was rebuilt many times, but until the 1870s it remained the only crossing over the Main. It acquired its current appearance in the first half of the 20th century. During the First World War, the bridge developed a crack and was completely rebuilt from scratch. During the Second World War it was blown up; two of its eight arches were damaged, but a complete reconstruction was not required: the destroyed parts were replaced with steel structures.
