the original bridge was one of the first large bridges constructed for the reichsautobahn system under the third reich, and was the model for many that followed. it was a steel beam bridge long, wide and carried on two double pylons of reinforced concrete high. hitler selected german bestelmeyer's design; with a single deck and only two massive support pylons, in concrete rather than steel, it was preferred on aesthetic grounds, and a model of one of the pylons dominated the reichsautobahn section of the "gibt mir vier jahre zeit" (give me four years) exhibition of nazi achievements in 1937. its construction was a particularly favoured topic of the painters commissioned by fritz todt to document the reichsautobahn, and also of documentary filmmakers, and the finished bridge was also one of the reichsautobahn scenes depicted on a postage stamp in 1936. it was the most successful steel bridge on the reichsautobahn and served as a model for several that followed.