The grand Railway Viaduct is the main feature on the “Viaduct Rambling Route”; it is depicted in the logos of the rambling route and of the Community of Altenbeken.
For more than a century and a half, Altenbeken has been well known as an important railway crossing point. Since its official opening in 1853, the Railway Viaduct has been the landmark of Altenbeken; at a height of 35m and over 482m, its 24 impressive arches span across the Beke valley.
“I believed I would find a golden bridge, seeing that such a tremendous amount of thalers have been spent”, the Prussian King, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, apparently said at the official opening ceremony. This royal statement is deemed to have been one of the reasons for incorporating a golden viaduct into the crest of Altenbeken.
During the Second World War the Viaduct was heavily bombed and four pillars and several arches were destroyed. In early October 1950, the extensive repair work was finally completed and since that time, this outstanding Viaduct has once again been an attraction in this lovely landscape.
Since December 2002 the Altenbeken Railway Viaduct has been a talking point as a “Golden Bridge” in the truest sense of the word. 20 of the 24 arches are illuminated at night, such that the viaduct is a favourite setting of numerous photographers and television camera teams.