The Sesekebrücke, also known as the five-arch bridge, is one of the oldest railway bridges in Germany that is still in operation and has been preserved in its original state. It is located in Kamen and crosses the Seseke.
It was built in 1846 for the Cologne-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft as one of the 14 bridges on the main line Duisburg – Wanne – Dortmund – Hamm. While iron bridges had been built in England since the early 1830s, in Germany only stone bridges were built. Not until a short time later did Casper Harkort open the first renowned iron bridge construction company in Wetter an der Ruhr.
The Seseke bridge is therefore made of ashlar in a simple, classicistic design language. The five arches are supported on pillars. The swampy subsoil required a foundation with oak piles. Three of the pillars were built as river piers, two as receiving waters. Since the canalization of the Seseke as a result of subsidence, none of the pillars are in the water.