Named after the heroic saga of the Nibelungs, the bridge was stylized as “German” and four monumental sculptures from the Nibelung saga were to be erected at the ends of the bridge. The bridge was also built with granite from quarries at concentration camps in Mauthausen and Gusen and constructed using POW and forced labor. To date, there is still no plaque, memorial, or sign referring to the bridge's history.

JKU historian Birgit Kirchmayr and her students have been examining the bridge’s history (click here to learn more). They have also organized an exhibition, opens a file, open to the public free of charge through to December 18, 2024. We spoke with Prof. Kirchmayr about why it is important to come to terms with the past.

There are a number of characters in the Song of the Nibelungs; which ones were intended as the four statues?
Associate Professor Birgit Kirchmayr: They intended to erect Siegfried and Kriemhild (on the Linz side), and Brunhild and Gunter (on the Linz/Urfahr side). Plaster models of Siegfried and Kriemhild were in fact erected in 1941 and there are photos.

What happened to the statues?
Associate Professor Birgit Kirchmayr: They were unable to fully complete the figures in granite; our research revealed that the large plaster models of Siegfried and Kriemhild were removed from the bridge on June 30, 1945, as we were able to find a corresponding document by the bridge authority. Previously, the myth had always been that the Americans destroyed the statutes.

Why is it important to re-visit the past like this? The Song of the Nibelungs is a relatively old tale. What do these old saga characters mean today, especially in lieu of historical context?
Associate Professor Birgit Kirchmayr: Why is it important? People still use the bridge’s name every day, many unaware of the fact that the National Socialists reinterpreted the medieval Nibelung saga to fit with its nationalistic policies, and deliberately exploit the saga to represent supposedly “German virtues”, such as loyalty or honor. According to newspaper reports and the sculptor's statement, this bridge in Linz was supposed to symbolize the 'reunification' of the German Reich with Austria, reflecting the Nibelung procession which went from Worms, along the Danube, to the Hungarian Hun country.