Müngstener Brücke Bridge Festival

Under Germany's Highest Railway Bridge

If you're looking for industrial culture, the Bergisches Land region, and steam train romance in October, the Brückenfest at the Müngstener Brücke is one of North Rhine-Westphalia's most extraordinary festivals. The Müngstener Brücke, built 1894–1897, is at 107 meters high the tallest railway bridge in Germany and a technical masterpiece of the Belle Époque. It spans the deep Wupper valley between Solingen-Burg and Remscheid-Müngsten with a span of 170 meters – and has been a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status since 2014.

Brückenpark Müngsten as Festival Grounds

The festival grounds are the Brückenpark Müngsten – a landscape park created in 2006 in the Wupper loop beneath the bridge. Accessible on foot only via stairs and hiking trails; a "Schwebefährchen" (a small suspension ferry, literally "hover ferry") connects both banks of the Wupper. The valley gives the festival a special character: trains rattle vertically overhead on the steel structure, while stalls, stages, and food trucks are set up below.

Steam Train Specials – The Highlight

The absolute hallmark of the Brückenfest are the steam train specials on the Bergische Runde. One or more historic steam locomotives (typically engines from the Dampfeisenbahn Wuppertal or BEM Bochum) run multiple times a day across the Müngstener Brücke on the route Wuppertal-Oberbarmen – Remscheid-Lennep – Solingen – Wuppertal. Three tours per festival day are common; tickets are highly sought after and must be booked well in advance. Those who get a ticket not only experience a steam train ride but also the crossing of Germany's highest steel bridge from the train window.

Program in the Brückenpark

The Brückenpark itself features a varied program. Based on experience, it includes:

• Stage program with brass bands from the Bergisches Land, folk bands, and cover bands
• Bergisches specialties – "Bergische Kaffeetafel" (a waffle-based feast with a "Hot-Pott"), Reibekuchen (potato pancakes), Kartoffelpuffer, sausages
• Arts and crafts market featuring Solingen blade craftsmanship, Remscheid tool tradition, local jewelry
• Children's program with blacksmith demonstrations, blade workshops, bouncy castle
• Guided tours on bridge technology, historical tours with local heritage societies
• Nature walks in the Brückenpark

Tradition Since 1997

The Brückenfest celebrates the 100th anniversary of the bridge in 1997 as its founding year. Since then, the festival has taken place annually on the last weekend of October – a tradition for almost three decades. The organizer is the City of Solingen in cooperation with actors from Remscheid and Wuppertal; the train rides are organized by the Dampfeisenbahn Wuppertal.

Sunday with Open Shops in Solingen

In parallel to the Brückenfest, there is a Sunday with open shops in the Solingen city center – retailers in Solingen-Mitte and Ohligs open their stores on Sunday afternoons. This combines the industrial monument spectacle with a classic shopping stroll.

Solingen – City of Blades in the Bergisches Land

Solingen, with approx. 159,000 inhabitants, is the quintessential "City of Blades" and part of the Bergisches Städtedreieck (Bergisches Triangle, with Remscheid and Wuppertal). Known for Zwilling Solingen steelware, Wüsthof knives, Solinger Klingen (Solingen blades). The district of Burg, with Schloss Burg – one of North Rhine-Westphalia's most important castles – is located a few kilometers north of the Brückenpark. A combined tour of Schloss Burg + Brückenfest makes the excursion complete.