
Gothic Bridge Chapel of St.Nikolaus
St. Nikolaus Bridge across the river Nagold, Calw, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
September 21, 2004 18:42 local time (17:39 UTC)
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© 2004 Thomas Rist, All Rights Reserved.
Caption
Constructed around 1400, Gothic bridge with chapel of St.Nikolaus. This is the oldest stone bridge across the river Nagold. The chapel is decorated with figures of a cloth-worker and raftsman representing the former most important trades of the town; since 1926 the interior has been adorned with glass paintings of the coat of arms of important Calw families. The chapel with the bridge are Calw's most important landmark. The live size bronze statue on the bridge pictures the author Herman Hesse, a famous son of Calw.On the occasion of a visit in 1918 he wrote the following:
'When, once again, I am sitting on the parapet of the bridge for a quarter of an hour, where, as a boy, I dipped my fishing hook a thousand times into the water, then I feel deeply moved by this beautiful and remarkable experience: to think that I once had roots! Once in a small town to have known all of the houses and their windows and all of the people behind them. ...'