Some winters were so severe it brought not only inconvenience but also excitement to Arnhem’s population, as the mighty river Rhine started to carry ice floes, all the way from Switzerland.
When Father Frost reigned with such severity, the authorities felt obliged to take the 150-metre pontoon bridge out circulation.
The 18-iron pontoons were stored in the Old Harbour for the duration, making it impossible to cross the icy river. Crossing the Rhine was possible only if the ice had settled and perhaps at least 30 centimetres thick, enough to carry some weight. What a joy it was to set foot on that uneven and slippery surface of the once mighty flowing stream. Weeks later we were once again in awe of nature’s force, when the thaw had set in, the silent waterway came alive again with a lot of moaning and groaning as the ice came adrift, wrestling itself loose from Father Frost’s grip.
Normally one could get to the other side of the river for 2 cents as a pedestrian, but if you were on a bike the price doubled. A horse or cow could make the trip across for a ‘dubbeltje’, (10 cents), while the odd automobile was charged two ‘kwartjes’, (50 cents).
However on Wednesday April 10, 1935, all that belonged to the past when a brand-new modern steel bridge was opened with much ado. No more fees to pay to get to the other side.