Karl rode his bicycle from Geldern to Schiefbahn, then south to Cologne, crossing the Rhine River from Deutz on a pontoon bridge. This pontoon bridge could be opened in the middle to let the ships travelling along the Rhine pass through.
“No one is supposed to be on the bridge when the draw is open, and a policeman stands at each end to prevent it, but when I came along on my “bike” I wheeled right past the guardian of the law on to the bridge and down to the opening. Here I was seized by a big German official of some sort, with large brass buttons and a full, round flaming face, the colour of a red rose. He talked and screamed, but none of it I could understand. The best way, when not being able to understand a foreigner, is to do as a Frenchman does - draw up the shoulders, twist the head a bit and turn up the palm of the hands. I did this, and the German policeman relaxed his hold somewhat until another Constable came to his assistance and I was marched off the bridge. Bye and bye, after an hour or so, I was allowed to pass and I proceed on my way … with feelings of thankfulness for I honestly believed that German intended me to fill a watery grave.”
When the pontoon bridge was built, it needed to be drawn about three times a day, but by the 1850s, it was required to be open more than 30 times a day and couldn’t manage the railway traffic. This deficiency led to the construction of the Hohenzollern, a new bridge built in 1907. This bridge was destroyed in WWII but then reconstructed and widened to accommodate six railway tracks and a pedestrian walkway.
Today the Hohenzollern is reportedly the most used bridge in Germany, with over 1200 trains travelling over it daily. I used the pedestrian route to walk across the 409m length of the bridge. I didn’t encounter any German officials on the bridge, however the foot traffic was quite busy with couples and individuals intent on placing a ‘love padlock’ on the fence between the trains and the sidewalk.
Since 2008, couples have placed a love lock on the fence and would throw the key into the Rhine. Thousands of love locks have been placed on the bridge, a tourist designation for romantics to declare eternal love. In 2011 there were 40,000 padlocks counted, and today there are an estimated 320,000 padlocks. The padlocks have added over 2 tons of weight to the bridge, causing local officials to question how long these proclamations of love can be sustained before those who cross the bridge once again risk a watery grave!
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The Karl Journey is now registered as an official expedition with the Royal Geographical Society