The first step requires a bit of courage. If you bring it with you, you can experience nature of a special kind on the swaying suspension bridges. And a good dose of thrill is included with the breezy walks over gorges and forests.
Nepalese suspension rope bridges served as a model for the Geierlay suspension rope bridge, which swings in a gentle arc over a narrow valley up to 100 meters deep near Mörsdorf in the Hunsrück. The idea was first presented in 2006 as part of a public workshop on tourism revitalization of the village.
Initially, the project was rejected as unfeasible ("too expensive, does not bring enough audience"). In 2010, however, three citizens, including the current mayor, Marcus Kirchhoff, took up the idea again. A feasibility study concluded that the bridge works.
After a further five years later the financing was secured (among other things through a subsidy from the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the European Fund for Rural Development), construction began. In 2015 the time had come: the first leisure adventurers inaugurated the catwalk made of Douglas fir boards at a height of one hundred meters.
When it opened, the Geierlay (the name goes back to an ancient field name) was the longest bridge of its kind in Germany at 360 meters. Because it lost this title two years later (due to the opening of the almost 460-meter-long "Titan RT" bridge), creative minds quickly attached it the title "most beautiful suspension rope bridge in Germany".
Weak knees are particularly common in the area of entry and exit, where the fluctuations – unlike in the middle of the bridge – are clearly noticeable. More than 1.7 million visitors have meanwhile walked over the swaying bridge, which is connected to the Saar-Hunsrück Climb and represents a section of the 5.5-kilometer Geierlayschleife loop trail.
Further information: Geierlay Visitor Center, Kastellauner Str. 23, 56290 Mörsdorf, Tel. 06762/9034080, geierlay.de. The bridge is open 24 hours a day, all year round. Depending on the parking lot, at least 2.5 hours should be planned for the hike. Access to the bridge is currently free, parking fees from ten euros.
It has been the longest bridge of its kind in Germany since May 2017 – at least until a bridge that is planned for autumn 2022 and is again a whopping 200 meters longer opens in Willingen: the “Titan RT” suspension cable bridge spans an incredible 458.5 meters over the Bode reservoir in the middle of the Rappbode valley near the town of Oberharz am Brocken.
A video shows the first ascent of the "Titan RT" suspension bridge in May 2017:
The Harz has one more attraction, because the longest pedestrian suspension rope bridge in the world is finished. "Titan-RT" brings it to 450 fluctuating meters. Particularly daring people can test their limits here.
What: N24/Thomas Vedder
The operators of the bridge created the name based on the design of the steel suspension bridge, the suffix RT simply stands for the place of action, the Rappbode valley. Sturdy shoes and a bit of courage are enough to experience this special adventure at a height of 100 meters.
Surrounded only by air, a little steel and fascinating nature, a unique perspective is offered. The 120-ton cable construction also offers an exciting contrast to the massive concrete bulwark of the dam wall, which runs parallel to the Titan RT about 50 meters away.
Despite 65 millimeter thick steel cables, the bridge, which can be moved throughout, sways significantly, which is why it takes a little effort for one or the other visitor to set off. The tingling effect is intensified when you look down through the grid floor at the feet of the walkers.
Strong nerves are also essential for some other leisure attractions in the vicinity of the suspension bridge. Directly below is the so-called “GigaSwing”: Alone or in a tandem, courageous people plunge 75 meters into the depths with this pendulum jump.
If that’s not enough for thrills, you can wall run down the Wendefurth dam wall headfirst or zoom through the air 120 meters above the abyss on the Mega-Zipline, which according to the operator is the largest double rope slide in Europe, alone or in pairs in climbing harnesses.
Further information: Rappbodetalsperre, 38889 Stadt Oberharz am Brocken, Tel. 039454/892273, titan-rt.de. Admission for adults six euros, children (4-10 years) four euros. The bridge is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. all year round.
It is 380 meters long, 60 meters high, just over a meter wide - and pure pleasure for those with a head for heights: The "Wildline" suspension bridge near Bad Wildbad in the northern Black Forest, which opened in July 2018, connects the Sommerberg with the Black Forest treetop path and offers spectacular views Views over the wooded low mountain range landscape.
A special feature of the filigree structure and atypical for suspension bridges: the walkway initially leads upwards, then rises towards the middle. As the name suggests, suspension bridges usually sag in the middle. Here it's the other way around, which makes the walk more spectacular as the height increases with every step.
In addition, this bridge construction does not sway any less than a normal suspension bridge - especially when many people are traveling in both directions at the same time, because every movement is transferred to the grid floor.
This masterpiece of engineering is not only impressive because of the view of the landscape, but also because of its sophisticated construction: only two steel cables, each 75 millimeters in diameter, hold the pedestrian bridge in the air high above the treetops.
No wonder it rocks and wobbles when you cross it. Adrenalin kicks are then guaranteed. You can then relax with a walk on the treetop path, which winds 1250 meters wide and 20 meters high through the beech, fir and spruce trees of the mixed mountain forest.
Further information: Wildline Visitor Center, Heermannsweg 100, 75323 Bad Wildbad, Tel. 07081/9557730, wildline.de. Open: 15.2.-31.10, daily 9am-7.30pm, 1.11.-14.2. daily 9 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. Admission: adults 9.50 euros; Children (6-14 years) 7 euros. Group tickets: five people 45 euros, ten people 86 euros.
Even if many public holidays fall on a weekend again in 2022, you can still arrange your vacation days in such a way that you have as many days off as possible in a row. With these tips you can use the bridge days as efficiently as possible.
Source: WELT/ Viktoria Schulte
