Giebichenstein Bridge

The Giebichenstein Bridge was built from 1926 to 1928 according to plans by Clemens Vaccano and Adolf Heilmann, employees of the municipal building authority, and with the artistic cooperation of Paul Thiersch, director of the Halle School of Artisans and the Applied Arts from 1915 to 1928.

The pedestals of both of the monumental sculptures serve as ice breakers to protect the bridge piers. The horse stands for the city on the Halle side and the cow for the village on the Kröllwitz side.

The huge animals were designed by Gerhard Marcks. In keeping with the internationally illegal tactic of scorched earth, the bridge was detonated on the 14th of April 1945, shortly before the end of the war.

After it was rebuilt in 1949, it required much maintenance and repair so that the river could be crossed daily on foot, by bicycle, by car or by tram.