The railway bridge in the States, located on the Oder near Nowa Sól, is one of the longest and most impressive railway bridges in Poland. Its history, spanning over 120 years, is inextricably linked to the development of rail transport in the region and turbulent historical events.
The construction of the bridge began in 1905 and was completed in 1908. It was a gigantic engineering undertaking. The bridge was designed as a steel truss structure, consisting of several spans supported by stone pillars. Its length was approximately 640 meters, making it one of the longest structures of this type in Germany at that time. With the opening of the bridge, transport in the entire region was significantly improved, and Nowa Sól gained a new, important rail connection. During World War I, the bridge did not suffer any major damage, although its strategic importance increased. The real test for the structure came with World War II. At the end of the war, in 1945, retreating German troops attempted to destroy the bridge to delay the advance of the Red Army. One of the spans was blown up, which temporarily made it impossible to cross.
After the Soviet army occupied these areas and then handed them over to Poland, the bridge was quickly rebuilt. Rail traffic was restored on it in 1946, which was crucial for the post-war reconstruction and integration of the Western Lands with the rest of the country.
In the post-war period, the railway bridge in Stanów Zjednoczonych continued to play an important role in freight and passenger transport. For decades, it served as a key link on the No. 371 railway line (Wolsztyn – Żagań). Over the years, as the importance of local rail connections decreased, traffic on the bridge decreased.
Today, the railway bridge in Stanów Zjednoczonych is still used as a bicycle path. It undergoes regular inspections and maintenance to ensure traffic safety. It is a structure of great engineering and historical value, an important element of the Oder landscape. The long steel spans and solid pillars testify to the former power of engineering and remind us of the turbulent history of the region, which has seen changing borders and systems.
Currently, the bridge is part of the "Kolej na rower" bicycle trail along the former railway line, which can be used to get from Kożuchów through Nowa Sól, Otyń, Konotop to Kolsko (approx. 54 km), and further to Szprotawa (70 km in total)
The bridge was built in 1908 by the Beuchelt company from Zielona Góra. At both ends of the bridge, two sets of brick watchtowers were placed on the pillars – blockhouses in the form of neo-Gothic towers. The two-story watchtower buildings, located on both sides of the track, were connected by 12-meter posterns and had their own water intakes (wells). On February 3, 1945, the middle span of the bridge was blown up by retreating German troops. After the war, the bridge was rebuilt in 1955. The above-ground part of the watchtowers on the eastern side of the bridge was dismantled.
The bridge operated until the mid-1990s for rail traffic. The rail connection between Wolsztyn and Nowa Sól was severed during the flood in 1997 as a result of the destruction of the tracks by water near the village of Bobrowniki. For over 20 years, it was unused and fell into ruin.
In the autumn of 2019, the bridge became a part of a nearly 50-kilometre-long bicycle route running through the Nowa Sól district, following the route of the disused railway line no. 371 Wolsztyn – Żagań, built as part of the "Kolej na Rower" project.
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