Location: Old Inde Bridge
The source of the Inde is in the Hohe Venn near Raeren/Belgium. After nearby 52 kilometer it flows into the Rur near Kirchberg. It is the longest and most water-rich tributary of the Rur.
The water of the Inde has a good quality in its upper reaches; it was even used for cloth colouring in Kornelimünster. However, from the confluence of the Saubach and Vicht near Stolberg and after leaving the urban area of Eschweiler, the river water has been heavily polluted since the middle of the 19th century.
Wastewater from industry, mining and domestic sewage is discharged untreated into the river. This does not change until the end of the 1950s, when high-performance sewage treatment plants are built. In the last step a treatment plant for seepage water from the Stolberg glass production was put into operation in 2007. Today, several species of fish live in the Inde again. This is a sign of the relatively good water quality.
The Inde and its tributaries cannot be dammed, with the exception of the Wehe, which flows a few metres downstream. As a result, floods occur time and again. To remedy this, the river bed between Eschweiler and Kirchberg was straightened in the 1930s and 1960s. This also creates new meadow, arable and building land.
The Inde could only be crossed by wagon for centuries. In June 1868 a tender for the construction of a brick bridge was issued. At that time, there were only other stone bridges in Weisweiler, Eschweiler and Jülich. The bridge is then built at the end of 1869 and the embankment area is laid out at the new 3-arch bridge.
At the end of 1944 – before the arrival of the Americans – German troops was blown up the arch of the bridge facing Lamersdorf. Initially, a provisionally footbridge is built after the return of the population. This provisional arrangement is replaced by a 47 m long footbridge for pedestrians in February 1949.
The construction of the new bridge in its present form begins in December 1951. The ceremonial inauguration of the new bridge takes place on 12 July 1952 during the Schützenfest.
The bridge will be renovated from the ground up in 2005.