The Severin Bridge, officially opened in Cologne in 1959, is a fascinating example of modern bridge architecture and is one of the most important traffic arteries across the Rhine. Its slender design, a characteristic feature of cable-stayed bridges, represents a technical masterpiece of its time and is an impressive example of post-war architecture and engineering.

The architectural realisation of the Severinsbrücke is the result of close cooperation between the engineers Fritz Leonhardt and the architect Paul Bonatz. Its innovative use of prestressed concrete and efficient cable routing are an example of the functional aesthetics that unite form and use.
The design of the bridge is characterised by its delicate structure and elegant lines, which convey a certain lightness. As a result, it fulfils the requirement of blending harmoniously into the cityscape of Cologne and preserving the view of Cologne Cathedral. At the same time, the construction with only one load-bearing pylon allows unrestricted navigation across the Rhine and into the Deutz harbour. Its colour scheme goes back to the "Cologne bridge green" determined by Konrad Adenauer, which characterises all urban bridges in Cologne and is based on the colour of Cologne church roofs.
Aside from its technical and aesthetic value, the Severin Bridge represents a time of reconstruction and new beginnings in post-war Germany, which makes it not only a functional structure, but also a living part of Cologne's city history. When it opened, the Severin Bridge was also the cable-stayed bridge with the longest main span in the world and the first with an A-shaped pylon.

Thanks to these characteristics, the bridge, named after St Severin and the neighbouring Severin quarter, won the Cologne Architecture Prize in 1967 and was finally listed as a historical monument in 1989.

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