After spending time touring old buildings in Quedlinburg, it was time for adventure. Time for the Titan RT! Now, I don’t do well with heights. All the symptoms, shakes, sweats, nausea, wash over me in a wave. So, what was I doing on the longest suspension bridge in Germany? My fearless partner convinced me it “would be fun”. (Keep in mind, this is a guy who considers the time he hung upside down from a hot air balloon with his news camera to be one of his favorite memories.). I made it though! All 458 meters. It helped that even more fearless people were bungee jumping from the cabin at the center of the bridge, and zip-liners were flying past us every few minutes, proving that a simple walk was no big deal.
You know what? It WAS fun (in a way that clutching the railing and inwardly cursing people who are jumping up and down on a moving bridge is fun). And it’s a memory I will never forget.
The Longest Suspension Bridge in Germany
The Titan-RT pedestrian bridge opened in July of 2017 near Oberharz am Brocken in the Harz Mountains alongside the Rappode Dam as part of the Harzdrenalin / Harz Adrenalin center. Adrenalin is absolutely the right word for this center of high-up-there fun activities! There’s no real REASON for the suspension bridge to exist, after all, there is a dam with a road and sidewalk running parallel to it, but maybe that’s what’s so cool… It’s just there for the excitement!
The pedestrian suspension bridge is the longest one of its kind. Other suspension bridges are longer, but this is the longest of this particular kind. The next longest is in China, and that’s a long flight to walk over a bridge, so this one is fine. And it’s constantly in motion, with wind and people jumping around; it just keeps moving.
(Yes, it does.).
The view, though, is amazing. You see the lake on one side, and far below and in the distance, a river and forests. Speakers playing music were mounted along the entire length of the bridge. And once you are on the bridge, you can stay on it all day if you like.
(Which is good, because I had quite a grip on the railing, and it took some coaxing to get me moving. There was a promise of an ice cream.
The bridge’s see-through grate allows you to look all the way down, over 100 meters, to the water below. You can also see the Gigaswing Pendulum jumpers take off below you. About halfway across the bridge, you’ll find a gate that takes you down the stairs to a small cabin that hangs beneath the bridge. That’s where the brave jumpers go to prepare for their leap of faith.
The fall so far, that they are just a spec in the photo I took through the grate.
Overhead, the Megazipline sends people FLYING down the hill two at a time. SCHUUUSSSSSSCCCCHHHHH as they scream by at 85 km/h (that’s 52 miles per hour) strapped to a string, going downhill! (They wore helmets. Safety first!) At over a kilometer long, it’s the longest Double Zipline in Europe! So you can go with a friend.
Fair warning, if you want to take part in the Gigaswing or the Megazipline, you need to get there early, or make a reservation. Sadly, they were already sold out for the day when we arrived.
Harzadrenalin Center
The whole area around Harzdrenalin is crisscrossed with wander trails. So even if you aren’t excited about getting your heart rate up through fear, you can enjoy a nice wander. Children under age 10 aren’t allowed on the zipline or bungee, but they can go on the bridge. Additionally, there are several children’s play areas for climbing and adventuring. Naturally, there are picnic tables and a few take-away food places to enjoy a lunch or snack as well. And across the bridge, there are additional trails, Segway tours, and an activity called Wall Running, which involves running straight down a wall.
Walking Back
When we got to the end of the bridge, I looked back at how far I had come across the longest suspension bridge in Germany, 458 meters!
For a change of view, I walked back along the Rappode Dam.
The Rappode Dam is the longest in the Harz, and the highest dam in Germany, and was built between 1952 and 1959, when it was officially handed over on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the German Democratic Republic. Behind the dam is the Rappodespersee or Rappode Reservoir, the highest in the Harz.
Titan- RT
Wondering what to do in the Harz? After visiting the witches, and enjoying the architecture, you can soothe the adrenaline junkie you are traveling with by crossing the bridge or doing a zipline…
You will find the Titan-RT pedestrian bridge and Harzdrenalin center about 25 minutes (by car) from Quedlinburg. For more information about the bridge – Titan-RT
Harzdrenalin is in the same parking lot- Harzdrenalin
All in all… a good day of ticking off boxes.
– Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge in Germany
– Longest Dam in the Harz
– Highest Dam in Germany
Next stop… Biggest Cuckoo Clock!