The Wilhelmina Bridge

The Wilhelmina Bridge, named after Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, connects the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel near Deventer.

The bridge over the IJssel was built between 1939 and 1943, but was blown up by the German occupying army during the retreat in April 1945. After the liberation, it was rebuilt according to the original design and put into use again in 1948. The steel arch bridge has concrete abutments and river pillars finished with natural stone, but the approach on the city side partly rests on modern designed concrete pillars. The Deventer river port, which dates back to the Middle Ages, was filled in for this access. At this location, a temporary cage structure was placed under the bridge in 2005 and houses a parking garage.

The Wilhelmina Bridge replaced the ship bridge that formed an important connection between western and eastern Netherlands and beyond from 1600. In the first 25 years of its existence, the bridge was an important link in the E8, the current E30, the car route from Hoek van Holland to Berlin. In 1972, the bridge on the A1 came into use south of Deventer, since then the Wilhelmina Bridge has only been of regional significance.

The bridge features in the hit film A Bridge Too Far, in which it depicts the Arnhem Rhine Bridge, which itself could not be used for the filming due to the nearby post-war buildings.

The Wilhelmina Bridge provides access to the city center, while the A1 bridge is on the south side; downstream, in the north, is the IJsselspoorbrug near Deventer.