The construction of the 37.50-meter-long and 4-meter-wide two-basket-handle arch bridge, made of reinforced concrete, was based on a design by Adolf Schwiening and Aquilin Altmann from the City Planning Authority (Stadtbauamt). Originally, the bridge was clad with shell-bearing limestone, which was later removed during renovation work. The opening between the two arches reduces weight and improves flood resistance by allowing water to flow through.
\r\nThe construction was carried out by the Wayss & Freytag company, which was founded in 1875 by Conrad Freytag and later joined by Gustav Adolf Wayss. In 1884, Conrad Freytag acquired a patent for reinforced concrete developed by Joseph Monier (22.12.1880), marking the beginning of a new era for reinforced concrete in Germany. The company undertook numerous projects during this time and remains active today. Its work can be found all over the world, including the first skyscraper in Buenos Aires – Argentina (Caja Internacional Mutua de Pensiones), and the Imperial Hotel in Karlovy Vary.
\r\nThe Kabelsteg was the second reinforced concrete bridge built in Munich, following the Ludwig-Ferdinand-Brücke over the Nymphenburg Canal, which was the first.
","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"","lede":"The Kabelsteg is an important protected monument today , but it was originally a by-product of the reconstruction work on the Muffatwerk power station in 1898. At first glance, it might seem like a simple pedestrian bridge, but its purpose extends beyond carrying people across the river. Hidden beneath its slabs are cables that transmitted energy from the Muffatwerk power station across the Isar to the city center. The bridge itself served as a conduit for these cables. This electricity was essential for powering the street lamps and later also supplied energy for the city´s trams.","website":null,"related_resources":["Kabelsteg, in: Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege, Denkmalatlas","Schwiening, Karl Georg Adolf, in: Reinhard Glaß: Architekten und Künstler mit direktem Bezug zu Conrad Wilhelm Hase (1818-1902).","Wayss & Freytag: About us: From 1875, in: https://www.wf-ib.de/en/about-us/history/from-1875/","Lorenz Wandinger: Das Lehel. Die älteste Münchner Vorstadt in Geschichte und Gegenwart, München 1994.","Christine Rädlinger: Geschichte der Münchner Brücken. Brücken bauen von der Stadtgründung bis heute, München 2008.","Heinrich Habel, Johannes Hallinger und Timm Weski (Hg.): Landeshauptstadt München Mitte. Die Bezirke Altstadt und Lehel, Maxvorstadt sowie der Englische Garten: Ensembles, Baudenkmäler, archäologische Denkmäler, Bd. 2,1,2: 1, Oberbayern, Kreisfreie Städte, Drittelband 1, München 2009, S. 350.","Alexander Rotter: Wasser und Strom für München. Vom Cholera-Nest zur leuchtenden Metropole, Weißenhorn 2018, S. 110–111.","Arbeitskreis Industriekultur im Archiv der Münchener Arbeiterbewegung e.V.: Industriekultur in München. Zwischen Abriss und Bewahren, München 2021, S. 127."],"factoids":[],"files":{"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/ed286bc3a7cf44339bf1e019ee11a64b.jpg":{"id":1810,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"The Kabelsteg bridge, 2007","description":"The bridge not only connects the shores of the Isar river for pedestrians but also carries power cables to Praterinsel. | Wikimedia Commons | Rufus46","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/ed286bc3a7cf44339bf1e019ee11a64b.jpg"},"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/e9fb2826d265830c9935097b8dc4057b.jpg":{"id":1811,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"The Kabelsteg bridge, 1910","description":"Kabelsteg is one of Munich's first reinforced concrete bridges. | Christine Rädlinger: Geschichte der Münchner Brücken. Brücken bauen von der Stadtgründung bis heute, München 2008, S. 122. | Georg Pettendorfer","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/e9fb2826d265830c9935097b8dc4057b.jpg"},"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/60d9f75b9983cd39bd352c8a71000d13.jpg":{"id":1822,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"View over the Kabelsteg to St. Lukas","description":"It was built in 1898 and is considered one of the most beautiful bridges in Munich. | Lorenz Wandinger: Das Lehel. Die älteste Münchner Vorstadt in Geschichte und Gegenwart, München 1994, S. 72.","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/60d9f75b9983cd39bd352c8a71000d13.jpg"},"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/8e86755db43abab4b9f7e00c844f2c4d.jpg":{"id":1813,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"View from the tower of the exhibition building of the 2nd Power and Machinery Exhibition on the Kohleninsel, 1898/99","description":"In the foreground: the roofs of the exhibition building, Ludwigsbrücke and Müller's public baths (still under construction), and Muffatwerk; in the background to the left, the Kabelsteg is visible. | Stadtarchiv München, FS-NL-KV-0378","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/8e86755db43abab4b9f7e00c844f2c4d.jpg"},"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/ef9f55cea1a54a44636b932af80a53c0.jpg":{"id":1814,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"The Isarlust restaurant (now Alpine Museum) as seen from the Wehrsteg, ca. 1900","description":"On the right the Kabelsteg bridge that connects Praterinsel to the eastern riverbank. | Stadtarchiv München, FS-NL-KV-0484","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/ef9f55cea1a54a44636b932af80a53c0.jpg"},"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/a1474999c575f956747b682ff469cf3a.jpg":{"id":1815,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Bathers by the Isar at Praterinsel, with Kabelsteg bridge and Maximilianeum in the background, 1935","description":"The Jugendstil bridge is 37.5 meters long and arches over the gravel banks of the Isar, which are used as public bathing areas during the summer months. | Stadtarchiv München, FS-PK-STB-13256","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/a1474999c575f956747b682ff469cf3a.jpg"},"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/10cd08f995a7de3a153fc969d07ed571.jpg":{"id":1816,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"The location of the bridge on a city map, ca. 1895","description":"The construction project was titled: Pedestrian bridge using the Monier system (pre-stressed concrete construction) over the Isar River near Isarlust. | Alexander Rotter: Wasser und Strom für München. Vom Cholera-Nest zur leuchtenden Metropole, Weißenhorn 2018, S. 110.","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/10cd08f995a7de3a153fc969d07ed571.jpg"},"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/c3432a4391a0652528a4674735f7915e.jpg":{"id":1823,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Power cables routed via Kabelsteg, 1929","description":"During the construction of the new Mariannenbrücke, the cables were placed in new shafts and covered with bricks. | Alexander Rotter: Wasser und Strom für München. Vom Cholera-Nest zur leuchtenden Metropole, Weißenhorn 2018, S. 111. | Stadtwerke München","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/c3432a4391a0652528a4674735f7915e.jpg"},"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/1d9cd4f0a85fe9911e861fc5a37320cc.jpg":{"id":1818,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Sketch of the bridge, ca. 1895","description":"The patent for the reinforced concrete construction system was originally developed by Joseph Monier in 1875. | Alexander Rotter: Wasser und Strom für München. Vom Cholera-Nest zur leuchtenden Metropole, Weißenhorn 2018, S. 110.","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/1d9cd4f0a85fe9911e861fc5a37320cc.jpg"},"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/230b2e4d20c7ad7007c57f39cd1cfaf6.jpg":{"id":1819,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Detailed construction drawing of the Kabelsteg bridge, 1899","description":"The opening above the pillar in the middle of the bridge reduces the weight on the single pillar holding the structure. | Christine Rädlinger: Geschichte der Münchner Brücken. Brücken bauen von der Stadtgründung bis heute, München 2008, S. 122.","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/230b2e4d20c7ad7007c57f39cd1cfaf6.jpg"},"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/fullsize/bccd4a331aa570db204aa67db18d9c10.jpg":{"id":1820,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"The 1940 flood below the Muffatwerk. The Auer Mühlbach stream on the left, the Kabelsteg bridge in the background.","description":"The opening above the middle pillar also serves as a measure against floods. It allows water to pass through the bridge unobstructed at high water levels, reducing pressure on the pillar and preventing the bridge from collapsing. | Christine Rädlinger: Geschichte der Isar in München, München 2012, S. 192. | Baureferat der Landeshauptstadt München/Wasserbau","thumbnail":"https://municharttogo.zikg.eu/files/square_thumbnails/bccd4a331aa570db204aa67db18d9c10.jpg"}}}