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Elisabeth de Kleer

81 discoveries

The Moving Elbe and the Carola Bridge Collapse

Remnant of the **Carola Bridge (Carolabrücke)**, specifically the "Moving Elbe" (Bewegte Elbe) sandstone sculpture by Friedrich Offermann, 1907. Originally one of four monumental figures flanking the bridgeheads. Surviving the 1945 firebombing of Dresden, the bridge was rebuilt in a functionalist GDR style in 1971, but these neo-baroque statues were preserved as historical anchors. The yellow **U38** sign refers to a detour (*Umleitung*) route, essential navigation for Dresden's complex inner-city traffic. Most significant context: the modern bridge span immediately adjacent to these statues suffered a catastrophic partial collapse into the Elbe River on September 11, 2024, due to corrosion. The bridge’s C-section failure has triggered an emergency demolition of remaining sections and a total re-evaluation of East German-era prestressed concrete infrastructure across the country.