A Covered Bridge in Germany/Switzerland

Tweet

On 14 July 2015 we left Freiburg in Germany and headed towards Austria. On the way we crossed the river Wiese. My mother's maiden name in Wiese and my ancestors came from Germany. We went through some mountainous regions before reaching Bad Säckingen, a rural town on the very southwest border of Germany on the southern edge of the Black Forest area. The town is famous for its covered bridge, half of which is in Germany and half in Switzerland. It spans the Rhine and connects Bad Säckingen with the Swiss village of Stein. This bridge is the longest roofed wooden bridge in Europe. Switzerland has it listed as a national registered monument. I found it hard to believe that the bridge had been built in 1272. It was destroyed in 1570, 1633 and 1678. In 1700, the current bridge was completed. Today it is only open to pedestrian traffic. We walked across it and set foot in Switzerland for a brief period. There are several 'chapels' set in alcoves along the bridge. Flowering containers decorate the sides and the timbers are massive. Bad Säckingen is also known as the 'Trumpeteer's City'. The notice near the statue of the trumpeter says "In 1853 Joseph Victor von Scheffel wrote the epic poem 'The Trumpeteer of Säckingen'. The common trumpeter Werner falls in love with the noble Margaretha in Säckingen. Her family forbids a marriage between the two. The pope decides to ennoble Werner, so that all obstacles are removed for the wedding." Von Scheffel wrote his poem inspired by the love between an aristocratic young lady and an untitled man. The couple go married against the will of her family and so they became outcasts. Later though, they returned to Säckingen. Unfortunately the Trumpet Museum was closed on the day we were there. The other thing I remember about the town was the lovely ice-cream we had there. The town also had a 'Little Library'. We found these in many of the towns we visited.