Salginatobelbrücke Weltmonument

The Salginatobel Bridge forms the core of the connecting road from Schiers to Schuders. With an elegant arch, it crosses the Salgina Gorge at a height of over 90 m. Possibilities to visit on foot on the historic circular path (large fireplace with drinking water) are signposted from the village centre of Schiers. With a 90-metre-wide arch, it leads over the Salgina stream at a height of 90 metres.

The viewing platform, located on an exposed rocky outcrop, offers a unique view of the world-famous structure. The circular trail follows the route of the old Schuderser mule track and requires good footwear.

The honour came from America

In 1991, the largest American engineering association ASCE named this extraordinary bridge a "world monument". Today, a total of 45 buildings form the small circle of the most important engineering creations, including such well-known ones as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru, the endless rice terraces in the northern Philippines, the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul, the Alaska Highway or the Panama Canal.

The beauty pageant

Almost 10 years later, another award followed: the renowned British trade journal "Bridge – design & engineering" asked thirty well-known designers and architects worldwide about the most beautiful bridge of the 20th century. The high ravine crossing between Schiers and Schuders took a clear lead ahead of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and numerous other famous bridges.

Pioneering work in concrete bridge constructionThe Salginatobel Bridge is the masterpiece of the great reinforced concrete pioneer Robert Maillart (1872–1940). The Swiss designer created new and groundbreaking buildings that made him one of the most important civil engineers of his time. Outstanding in the history of architecture are the bridge construction systems he developed, the three-hinged box girder and the stiffened bar arch.

Cheapest project – short construction time

The tender was issued in the summer of 1928. Two months later, the cantonal building authority was in possession of 19 projects for a ravine crossing. The cheapest offer from the Prader company was preferred, although the unusually slim design was not really trusted. This was the project of Robert Maillart, who had once again succeeded in finding the most economical bridge solution by using reinforced concrete, which was a very expensive material at the time, as sparingly as possible. The construction was awarded at the proposed lump sum of CHF 135,000. Richard Coray's much-acclaimed teaching framework cost a further CHF 45,000. In the late summer of 1929, it was untied by only 6 workers and erected in the steep ravine. The wood requirement was around 700 m3 with a parts list of 1285 numbers and could be covered by municipality-owned forests. The concreting work was carried out in 1930 in the incredibly short time of only three months. All the concrete material was mixed by hand and fed with carrettes. The most delicate phase was the casting of the thin sheet plate, which had to be carried out absolutely symmetrically from both sides without interruption and was completed after 40 hours of painstaking work. In mid-August 1930, the scaffolding was lowered and the structure was opened to traffic.

Worldwide attention

During the construction period, no one could have guessed what attention this bridge structure would one day receive. The bold scaffolding already received a lot of admiration, and locals and experts from home and abroad followed the concreting work with interest. All the major newspapers in the country reported on the inauguration, with the new construction being consistently praised and described as exemplary. But the special nature of this bridge was gradually forgotten outside the professional circles – the seclusion in the wild Salginatobel and the fact that every bridge is ultimately a utility building contributed to this. On the other hand, the structure quickly found its way into numerous reference books and was soon also noticed and studied at technical universities around the globe as an epochal engineering achievement. The filigree reinforced concrete bridge repeatedly appeared at art exhibitions, and its distinctive silhouette became a symbol of modern architecture.

Ingenious constructionIn the history of bridge construction, the Salginatobel Bridge has long been a landmark. Its revolutionary design has set new trends and influenced civil engineers all over the world. The three-joint arch structure forms a stiff box girder from the quarter points towards the apex: the vault, side walls and roadway have melted together to form a slender unit. Conversely, huge recesses in the side walls taper the arch towards the supports. The visual effect is captivating – in a huge jump, the bridge is placed on the perpendicular rock face. The undecorated clarity of the form, which is dissolved into thin plates and discs, inspires experts and laymen alike and has a timelessly modern effect. Never before has reinforced concrete been used more sparingly and elegantly.

Bridging experience

Today, the Salginatobel Bridge is better known than ever. Every day, visitors walk the specially created "Historic Circular Trail Salginatobel Bridge", which largely follows the old Schuders mule track, and are inspired by the bold location of the world-famous structure. Large information boards at the village entrances as well as panorama boards and signage in the village show the way to this bridge experience of a special kind.

Text: ©Andreas Kessler 2009