State-of-the-art lighting for the Old Bridge in Heidelberg

Since 2008, the Old Bridge in Heidelberg has been illuminated every evening. Modern LED contour lighting accentuates its classic form and ensures homogeneous illumination of the parapet area.

This bridge is world-famous: the Old Bridge spans the Neckar River in Heidelberg. Officially named the Karl Theodor Bridge, it connects the Old Town with the opposite bank. Built in 1788 under Elector Karl Theodor, the bridge is, along with the castle, one of Heidelberg's most famous landmarks. The structure is 200 meters long and consists of nine barrel vaults with spans ranging from 8 to 22 meters. The bridge is constructed of rubble masonry with a red sandstone facing. It is one of the last great examples of classical bridge construction before the 19th century, when cast iron became the dominant building material and bridge construction became purely an engineering challenge.
Completely rebuilt after World War II, the bridge underwent extensive renovation in 2008. For the first time, the Heidelberg municipal utilities also opted for full lighting of the imposing structure. Previously, only simple streetlights had been installed for traffic on the bridge. The requirements for the new lighting were very high: an energy-saving solution with the most delicate possible luminaires was desired. The lighting system had to be installable in accordance with the strict requirements of the historic preservation guidelines, and furthermore, a pre-installed plug-and-play solution was required.

The project managers commissioned the renowned Heidelberg-based design and planning firm LDE Belzner Holmes with the lighting design and concept. One of the desired effects of the new lighting was the homogeneous illumination of the parapet area. The planners sought a lighting solution that, in addition to the aforementioned requirements, would produce a warm white light of 3000 Kelvin, allowing for optimal color rendering of the bridge's old sandstone. The light fixtures had to be easily replaceable in case of failure. The electrical power consumption was required to be less than 10 watts per meter, and the cable routing (wiring harness) had to be integrated into the lighting profile system with a matching RAL color.

After carefully considering various solutions from different suppliers, the decision was made to use a specially adapted LED profile system from FLASHAARLEDLight. The lighting system delicately traces the contours of the bridge structure. The particularly stringent requirements of historic preservation for the installation of the lighting systems demanded considerable planning expertise. Thanks to intensive planning and preparation, the employees of the Heidelberg municipal utilities were able to install the plug-and-play ABH LED profile system in record time last autumn. Today, the Old Bridge in Heidelberg shines in a very special light night after night, enchanting both residents and visitors of the romantic city on the Neckar River.