Built between 1888 and 1891, the Moltke Bridge links the two banks of the River Spree in the Tiergarten district, 600 meters from the Reichstag. The bridge was named in honor of General Moltke, commander of the Prussian army in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, which led to German unification after France's humiliating defeat at the Battle of Sedan in 1870. The bridge was built in Wilhelminian style, very much in vogue in Germany at the end of the 19th century.
Although the bridge does not stand out from others due to its architectural characteristics, it went down in history during the Battle of Berlin. After several weeks of fighting, Russian troops entering the German capital managed to reach the city center through the Moabit district. The German defenders of the capital had left the foot of the bridge to allow retreating defending units to pass into the government zone.
The bridge was defended by 5,000 German troops belonging to the Volkstrum and the last troops of the Waffen-SS . The bridge had been prepared for a possible Soviet barricade attack and the engineers had placed explosive charges to destroy it as soon as the order was received.
On April 28, 1945, units of the 3rd Shock Army commanded by General Perevertkin stormed the bridge, taking it within hours. The German engineers detonated the explosive charges with the intention of preventing the passage of the Soviet troops, but the explosion was insufficient and the structure resisted. That same afternoon, units of the Red Army's 150th and 171st Infantry Divisions secured the bridge, allowing soldiers and vehicles to pass in the direction of the Reichstag, which, as Stalin had ordered, would fall on May 1.
How to get to Moltke Bridge
The Moltke Bridge is located in the Tiergarten district, next to the government quarter. To get there you can take the Sbahn lines S3, S5, S7 or S9 to the central train station or the emtro line U55 to the Bundestag station. To find out the best combination so far, you can click on the following LINK.