The design for the Warnow Bridge was developed as part of the 2025 Federal Horticultural Show (BUGA), which was originally planned for Rostock. The new foot and cycle bridge will complete the planned ‘Rostocker Oval’ circular route along the riverbank in the city harbour, providing a direct link between the city centre and the Gehlsdorf district, which is currently divided by the Unterwarnow river. The newly planned bridge is also part of the European long-distance cycle route between Berlin and Copenhagen.
The bridge’s design is varied: the ramps blend seamlessly into their surroundings, while the main section, with its striking supports, and the bascule bridge, with its visible mechanics, are dynamic yet harmonious. The new structure thus blends in well with the city harbour, complete with its boat masts and cranes. The supporting structure of the foreland bridge in the south extends the city harbour. It is a reinforced concrete structure founded on steel pipe piles.
The main part of the bridge consists of a steel box girder with in-situ concrete infill to form a composite bridge cross-section, and it is founded on steel pile piles. The movable section of the bridge is a single-sided bascule bridge consisting of a steel box girder and a lifting cylinder mechanism. The passage opening for larger ships is a cable-stayed bridge with two masts, supported by four steel cables.
