"Marienbrücke" (Mary's bridge), situated above Pöllat gorge
Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge, aka Pöllat Bridge) located in the municipality of Schwangau, not far from Füssen, is a bridge across Pöllat gorge. It is situated right behind and in clear line of sight of Castle Neuschwanstein. The bridge was named after Queen Marie.
In 1845, King Maximilian II ordered a wooden footbridge to be built across Pöllat gorge. This bridge was constructed using traditional timber construction and most likely turned out to be not very stable, since it already had to be renewed after only a few years. In order to increase the bridge’s stability, a structure consisting of three layers of beams and lateral support beams was chosen. The resulting building, stretching to 35 meters in length, however, did not offer an aesthetically pleasing sight.
Precisely this was King Ludwig II’s reason to have this footbridge replaced by a filigree iron structure in 1866, by the Gustavsburg workshops of Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Nürnberg, Klett & Comp., which is nowadays known as M.A.N.. During the construction of Marienbrücke, a completely new method of construction was successfully tested: At an altitude of 90 meters above Pöllat cascade, the girders were erected from the anchorings in the rock on either side by pre-constructing the individual support frames, without requiring further supportive braces.
In 1984, the bridge was restored and the girders had to be renewed. The barristers, however, are still the original ones used in 1866.
In early August 2015, the bridge was temporarily closed for visitors, due to restoration work on the anchorings in the rock. Damaged anchorings were repaired, and the coatings of the iron structure and the wooden floorboards were renewed. The costs for this renovation amounted to approximately 650,000 euros. On 04 August 2016, the district administrator of the rural district of Ostallgäu and Bavarian Chancellor of the Exchequer Markus Söder officially declared Marienbrücke re-opened.
From the beginning of 2021 to the middle of 2022, the Marienbrücke was closed because all rock anchors had to be replaced due to structural problems.
Source: Translation from German https://de.wikipedia.org.
From the "Marienbrücke" you have a unique view of Neuschwanstein Castle
How to reach the Mary’s bridge?
The nearest parking lot to reach Mary’s bridge is P4 directly underneath Hohenschwangau castle (near the Alpsee). From there you can walk uphill (aprox. 45 minutes to the bridge) or you can take the shuttle bus (Bus stop valley next to the parking are P4). The costs are € 3.00 per person for uphill and € 3.50 for a roundtrip.
Please note that the shuttle bus to Neuschwanstein Castle (viewpoint "Jugend"/ Mary's bridge) runs according to visitor demand, but without a schedule.
From the final destination bus stop there is a 5 minutes’ walk to reach the Mary’s bridge and 15 minutes’ walk to reach the Neuschwanstein castle.
ATTENTION!
If you want to get inside Neuschwanstein castle (guided tour) after visiting the Mary’s bridge, please buy the castle tickets in our official online ticket shop or at the Ticket Center (depending on availability), before you take the shuttle bus to the Mary’s bridge. Otherwise you have to go back to the valley to get the tickets for the Neuschwanstein castle. You do not have to buy a ticket if you want to see only the outside of the castle. However, access to the castle courtyard is unfortunately not possible without an admission ticket.
Pets are not allowed in the bus-shuttle. The shuttle bus only operates in suitable weather conditions (no snow or ice). No bus service on December 24th, December 25th, December 31st and January 1st.
Mary's Bridge temporary closed in winter!
Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge) is an independent structure that offers a great view of Neuschwanstein Castle and a beautiful photo opportunity.
In winter, due to ice and snow, and for safety reasons, the access to the bridge is temporary not possible depending on the weather conditions. On the start page of our homepage under "Current information" you will find daily whether access to the Mary's bridge ("Marienbrücke") is possible.
Note: Access to Neuschwanstein castle and the guided tours inside are, however, not restricted if the Mary’s bridge is closed. Neuschwanstein Castle can therefore be visited in all weathers.
