The Eiserner Steg, or Iron Footbridge, carries pedestrians across the river Main between Frankfurt's old town and Sachsenhausen. It was built in 1868–1869 not by the city but by Frankfurt's citizens, who formed a company and paid for it with shares. Today its railings are heavy with love locks, and on its steelwork a line from Homer's Odyssey is written in Greek.
The Eiserner Steg at a glance
- Where: across the Main from the Fahrtor, beside the Historisches Museum near the Römerberg, to Schulstraße in Sachsenhausen.
- Built: first opened in 1869; replaced by a higher, wider bridge in 1911–1912; blown up in 1945 and rebuilt in 1946.
- By: the original bridge was designed by the engineer Peter Schmick.
- What it is today: a pedestrian bridge about 170 metres long, made of riveted steel trusses resting on two river piers, and one of the city's favourite viewpoints.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes to cross and stop for the view.
A bridge paid for by its users
By the 1860s Frankfurt's population had grown fast, yet the medieval Alte Brücke was still the only crossing to Sachsenhausen, and the city council refused to pay for another. In June 1867 citizens, many of them merchants, founded an association to build an iron footbridge themselves, selling shares at 100 gulden. The bridge was built by a private company from 1868 and opened on 29 September 1869. Everyone who crossed paid a toll of one kreuzer, and traffic was so heavy that the debt was paid off early: on 1 January 1886 the bridge was handed over to the city.
The original structure was low and soon got in the way of bigger barges on the Main. In 1910 a coal barge got stuck under it, and in 1911–1912 it was replaced by a higher, wider cantilever bridge that copied the old look. In the last days of the Second World War the Wehrmacht blew it up, but it was rebuilt unchanged in 1946. During a renovation in 1993 it was raised slightly once more.
What to look for
- The Homer inscription: a line in Greek capitals from Book I of the Odyssey, 'sailing over the wine-dark sea to men of other tongues'.
- The love locks: thousands of padlocks left by couples on the railings; some were removed in 2025 so that the bridge's electrical cables could be renewed.
- The steel trusses: the riveted lattice girders of the 1912 bridge, built to keep the look of the 19th-century original.
- The skyline: look downstream for the view of Frankfurt's bank towers rising behind the old riverbank.
- The cathedral tower: on the old-town side, the red sandstone tower of Frankfurt Cathedral rises above the rooftops.
A line from the Odyssey
The Greek words on the bridge come from the moment in the Odyssey when the goddess Athena, disguised as a traveller, says she is sailing over the wine-dark sea to men of other tongues. In a city where people from all over the world live side by side, and where trade has always crossed the river at this point, the quotation is often read as a welcome to strangers.
Tips for your visit
- Come at sunset or after dark, when the skyline lights up and is reflected in the Main.
- Cross from the old town to Sachsenhausen and walk back along the riverbank paths to see the bridge from below.
- If you bring a padlock, leave it only where others already hang, and never throw keys or objects into the river.
Nearby
- Römerberg: the old town square with the Römer, Frankfurt's town hall, a few minutes' walk from the bridge.
- Historisches Museum: the city history museum right at the old-town end of the bridge.
- Frankfurt Cathedral: the Gothic church where German kings were elected and later crowned, a short walk north.
- Museumsufer: the line of museums along the Sachsenhausen bank, including the Städel art museum.
See Frankfurt with World City Trail
Our Frankfurt scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 24 minutes of walking. It includes the Römerberg, a few minutes from the bridge.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Frankfurt.
Play the Frankfurt scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Frankfurt →
Play the outdoor escape game in Frankfurt →
Facts checked in October 2026.