A maritime museum that commemorates the city's close connection to the river Rhine.
In 1979, the "Schiffbauer-, Schiffer- und Fischverein Speyer e.V." ("Speyer Shipbuilders’, Skippers’, and Fishermen’s Association") purchased this building from the City of Speyer to establish a small maritime museum and a clubhouse there. The renovation and restoration work was carried out over many hours by club members and friends on a volunteer basis, with great care and attention to detail. The "Speyer Shipbuilders’, Skippers’, and Fishermen’s Association" carries on Speyer’s long-standing tradition of shipbuilding, shipping, and fishing.
The bridge house served as a residence and toll booth, as well as, at times, a customs house for the bridge keepers. The old pontoon bridge existed from 1865 to 1938 and was also used by the railroad line from Speyer to Heidelberg. The bridge was dismantled in 1938 and replaced by a new railroad bridge, which was blown up in 1945.
The guild representing these trades was already mentioned in Speyer documents (e.g. in the Speyer city seal) as early as 1327. The "Speyer Shipbuilders’, Skippers’, and Fishermen’s Association" is the direct successor to this guild; it was founded in 1871. It has made it its mission to carry on the tradition of this guild and pass it on to future generations, just as our forefathers did.
The ship models on display in the museum were built to scale in the second half of the 19th century by shipbuilders based in the “Old Harbor” and are therefore well over 100 years old. Shipping has been a part of Speyer’s history since its earliest days. The Speyer Chronicle records that as early as the seventh century A.D., “Speyer sailors sailed to Bingen on several occasions.”
The "Museum im Brückenhaus" is located on the street "Rheinallee" and is open every Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. from April through September.