Willingen (dpa/lhe) – The valley supports are in place, the cable pull is complete. Work on Germany’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Willingen in northern Hesse is entering the home straight. According to the Willingen Tourist Information Office, a specialist company had pulled almost three kilometers of rope from one mountain to the other in the past few weeks. “The next steps are currently being planned and prepared,” said a spokeswoman. This includes attaching the handrails and wooden walkways to walk on, as well as some final finishing touches.
Entrepreneurs from Willingen are investing four million euros in the project. Originally, the completion of the 665 meter long suspension bridge was planned for November, December at the latest. “But that depends on the weather and cannot be confirmed at the moment,” said the spokeswoman. Work on the structure at a height of 100 meters began in February. A construction time of eight months had been estimated for the 125-ton Skywalk.
With the attraction, the community, which is known among other things as a ski resort, wants to further expand its tourism offer. The calculation of the investors is that every third of around 350,000 overnight guests per year visit the Skywalk, explained the tourist information. In addition, there are day visitors, many of whom will also visit the building.
The Skywalk Willingen was originally announced as the longest Tibetan-style suspension bridge in the world. She should surpass the “516 Arouca” in Portugal with 516 meters in length. In May, however, a 721 meter long pedestrian rope bridge opened in the Czech Republic at a height of 95 meters, the “Sky Bridge 721”.
