De Hef (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

De Hef is the popular name for the Koningshavenbrug, a railway lift bridge over the Koningshaven in the Dutch city of Rotterdam that has been taken out of use for rail traffic since 1993. The bridge was part of the railway line Breda – Rotterdam.

De Hef met op de achtergrond de Koninginnebrug en de Maastoren (Rotterdam, Nederland) — De Hef with the Koninginnebrug and the Maastoren in the Background (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

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De Hef Bridge (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

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Puente De Hef (Rotterdam, Países Bajos)

The Koningshaven separates the Noordereiland from the Feijenoord district. The bridge sections of the Koningshavenbrug on the mutual banks date from 1878. The middle section was originally a swing bridge. However, this was a major hurdle for shipping. Several ships moored in the narrow passage, in 1918 the German ship Kandelfels sailed against the pier. The latter accident was decisive for the construction of a lift bridge to replace the swing bridge.

De-Hef-Brücke (Rotterdam, Niederlande)

Slika Hef Bruga na Roletni Kafića Bilijar 't Haventje u Roterdamu, Holandija — Image of De Hef Brigde at a Roller Shutter of Cafe Billiards ‘t Haventje in Rotterdam, The Netherlands

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جسر ذي هيف (روتردام ، هولندا)

Ferrocarril sobre el antiguo Puente Koningshaven o De Hef (Rotterdam, Países Bajos) — Railway over the old Koningshaven Bridge or De Hef Bridge (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

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Мост де Хеф (Роттердам, Нидерланды)

Ponte De Hef (Roterdã, Países Baixos)

The bridge was designed by engineer Pieter Joosting and opened on October 31, 1927. This bridge was the first of its kind in Western Europe. Joris Ivens made an avant-garde film about De Hef in 1928 entitled De Brug. Arij de Boode and Pieter van Oudheusden wrote De Hef, biography of a railway bridge (1985, with a preface by Joris Ivens). On May 14, 1940, the bridge was severely damaged during the bombing of Rotterdam. To make train traffic possible again, it was one of the first works of art in the destroyed city to be restored.

Pont De Hef (Rotterdam, Pays-Bas)

De Hef; Most Wyciągu Kolejowego nad Koningshaven w holenderskim mieście Rotterdam — De Hef; The Railway Lift Bridge over the Koningshaven in the Dutch City of Rotterdam

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De Hef Köprüsü (Rotterdam, Hollanda)

Costruzione in Acciaio del Ponte Hef e Bandiera dell'Isola del Nord (Rotterdam, Paesi Bassi) — Steel Construction of the Hef Bridge and Noordereiland Flag (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

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After the commissioning in 1993 of the Willemsspoortunnel for train traffic between Central Station and South Station, it was possible to focus on the demolition of the redundant route. This consisted of the two Maasbruggen, De Hef and the Willemsspoorbrug (the other Maasbrug in line with De Hef) and the Luchtspoor. After wide protests from Rotterdammers, the demolition of De Hef was abandoned. The bridge became a national monument, a monument in memory of the place where trains once left the center of Rotterdam. The rest of the track was demolished.