Railway bridge Duits Lijntje - Liempde

In 1878, after a difficult and costly construction process, the railway line between Boxtel (North Brabant) and Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia) opened, known as the Duits Lijntje. The line was intended to be the link from England to Germany, Austria and Russia, built by the Noord-Brabantsche-Duitsche Spoorwegmaatschappij (NBDS). In the years that followed, it faced strong competition from the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (SS). The railway proved financially unsuccessful and in 1922 the NBDS went bankrupt.

Yet the train once regularly transported kings and emperors from England and Germany along this line. That made the Duits Lijntje a well-known name far and wide. The tracks are still in place and have been declared Brabant industrial heritage. The bridge lies in the middle of the Dommel valley and is now a striking remnant of this historic railway line.

The connection is also of ecological importance today: De Geelders is one of the most important nature reserves in Het Groene Woud and has been linked to the Dommel valley thanks to the construction of the railway. The railway bridge at this location, itself a listed national monument, now feels like a gateway to a stunning nature area.