The Bridge at Remagen is one of those war films you see on TV as a kid, like the Guns of Navarone, 633 Squadron and that other one, you know,  the one with the motorbike...It is never quite mentioned up there with the very best Hollywood offerings of its era but with Robert Vaughn in top form as the world-weary German officer who does his damndest to defend the Bridge against impossible odds, I always quite liked it and was keen to visit the place where it all took place for real. Remagen is easy enough to get to, situated not far south of Cologne and Bonn. It's also pretty close to the Nurburgring, site of the German / European Grand Prix so motor racing fans.jpg) like me can kill two birds with one stone. The town of Remagen lies astride the left bank of the Rhine; it is a sizeable place with some attractive historic buildings, not least the town hall, Romans Museum and a variety of churches including the 13th century Church of St Peter and St Paul. As you can imagine, the town suffered widespread destruction during the war and had to be rebuilt afterwards. The Bridge is signposted, not incidentally by its proper title 'The Ludendorff Bridge' but in a nod to the film perhaps, by its popular title 'Bridge at Remagen' (or Brücke von Remagen to be more accurate). It is straightforward enough to find and there is a little car parking area. While there is not much left of the bridge - anyone attempting to cross would get their feet wet pretty quickly - it's an impressive site nonetheless. 
The imposing twin turrets on the west bank of the Rhine The twin turrets, dark and imposing, form a sinister-looking backdrop to the ruined bridge, its few remaining pylons protruding across the river for a few metres before coming to an abrupt halt. While most associated with the Second World War, the bridge was actually built during World War 1 to facilitate the movement of German troops and supplies across the Rhine but was not completed until 1918. It had a pedestrian walkway and two railway lines; during WW2, one of these was boarded over to allow motor vehicles to cross back and forward. It was captured intact on 7th March 1945 by the US 9th Armoured Division, during the aptly-named 'Operation Lumberjack'. This followed two failed attempts by German engineers to d etonate explosives beneath the bridge.
So little is left of the Bridge today that it barely extends to the water's edge
Its capture allowed American units to form a bridgehead on the right bank of the Rhine in advance of the main Allied crossings. The psychological impact of losing the bridge had a devastating impact on German morale. Five officers were court-martialled, four of whom were executed on Hitler's personal orders. Eisenhower, meantime, claimed the capture of the bridge was 'worth its weight in gold.'Due to the weakening of the steel structure,  the bridge collapsed on 17th March 1945, killing twenty-eight American soldiers. Pontoon bridges had already been built alongside so the loss of the bridge had relatively little impact. It was never rebuilt.
Looking across the Rhine to the towers on the east bank Today, the turrets on the left bank house an excellent 'Peace Museum' that is well worth a visit. The museum tells the history of the bridge and its importance in the events of 1945; one room displays an original poster of the Hollywood Movie and describes how fiming (in Czechoslovakia) came to an abrupt halt in August 1968 during the notorious 'Prague Spring'. The upstairs of the museum also offers a very fine view across the Rhine, with its never-ceasing flow of traffic day and night, to the opposite bank, where the other 'twin turret' still stands stoically above the river. It is unlikely the bridge will ever be re-built, but as a lasting reminder of the men who fought to secure or defend it, the Bridge at Remagen historic site remains a fitting tribute. 
A visit to Remagen might be combined with a trip to nearby Cologne; this beautiful city has some wonderful historic landmarks, not least the stunning Cathedral and Hohenzollern Bridge, used by German troops to remilitarise the Rhineland in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles on 7th March 1936. Prussian military tradition remembered at the Hohenzollern Bridge During World War 2, Cologne suffered terrible damage from Allied air raids. On 31st May 1942, the city was attacked by 1,046 heavy bombers, dropping 1,455 tons of explosive. 486 people were killed and thousands more wounded or made homeless; thereafter, the civilian population was evacuated. The bridge collapsed into the Rhine but despite the devastation around  it, the Cathedral remained more or less intact suffering relatively minor structural damage. While some put this down to divine intervention, it is more likely that the Cathedral was spared as Allied pilots saw it as an important navigational landmark. Sunset over Cologne; Hohenzollern Bridge & cathedral |