With its 13 brick-built circular arches, the Sachsenhausen Bridge was one of the most prominent buildings of the city, but failing to meet the increasing demands of the modern road and ship traffic, it was demolished in 1914.

Originally there was a ford (German: Furt) near the Alte Brücke, possibly slightly downstream near the Fahrtor [de], giving the city its name.

German: "Sie ist aber weit älter, und ich glaube nicht zu irren, wenn ich ihre erste Grundlage Karl dem Grossen zueigene, welcher ums Jahr 782 hier ein Palatium, und wahrscheinlich um die nämliche Zeit auch die steinerne Brücke über den Main erbaute.

The oldest depiction of this bridge comes from 1405: It is shown in stylized form in the "Bedebuch" (burnt in World War II), with the two towers, three arches and the crucifix of the Brickegickel.

The portals on the path down to the Main island have been decorated by sandstone reliefs of the river god Moenus, and by two Kanonesteppels, a caricaturesque depiction of two artillerists.

During the War of the Sixth Coalition, on 31 October 1813, French troops, supposed to be defending the city, engaged in a violent battle against Bavarian and Austrian soldiers, who approached the bridge from Sachsenhausen.

As an attempt to solve the problem, ice breakers had been added to the bridge pillars, but these turned out to be a collision danger for passing ships and were subsequently removed.

Further complicating the situation, the small, long arch passages stood slightly angular to the direction of the water current, causing strong turbulences.

Reports of the city construction manager Johann Friedrich Christian Hess from the years 1816 to 1844 noted the desolate state of the bridge pillars, and mentioned cracks with sizes up to 10 inches (0.25 m) each.

The Neue Alte Brücke only reached an age of 18 years: On 26 March 1945, shortly before the end of World War II, the German Wehrmacht imploded the two large middle arches of the bridge to prevent the approaching Allies from crossing the Main.

[14] However, the construction work was delayed to be synchronized with the reconstruction of the Kurt-Schumacher-Straße (Kurt Schumacher road), avoiding prolonged interference with private transport in the inner city.

On the Main island, between 2005 and 2006, an exhibition hall for contemporary art, called "Neuer Portikus" ("new porticus"), was constructed on the west side of the bridge.

This project was disputed, however, because it would have bulldozed a nearly untouched natural area in the middle of the city, and because it would have endangered multiple trees and a breeding site of numerous birds.

[17] After the citizens' initiative had collected over 6,000 signatures[18] and multiple opposition factions had filed motions against the construction, the governing parties CDU und Alliance 90/The Greens released a joint press statement against the project, bringing the issue off the table.

Despite protests by the Jewish community, this testimony of public antisemitism stayed in place until the tower was demolished; it even was renewed multiple times.

In 1852, the westerly mill was torn down, and at the same position, a steam engine pumping station was constructed from 1856 to 1858 to provide Main water for the Sachsenhausen horticulture.

On the west side of the bridge, north of the non-vaulted pillar, two public convenience stations called the "Heimliche Gemache" ("hidden chambers") existed for men and women; they have been mentioned in historical documents back to the 15th century and had been donated by the city council.

The sculpture, made of red sandstone by sculptor Johann Nepomuk Zwerger, was deployed at the eastern middle pillar of the bridge, facing the city.

During discussions in Frankfurt to extend and renovate the Alte Brücke, the citizens expressed the wish to re-situate the Charlemagne statue in its original place on the bridge.

[20] In the end of 2014, the city community council decided to leave the original in the new museum building in Römerberg, and to put up a copy on the Alte Brücke, exactly where the "Brickegickel" had been located from 1967 to 2013.

When the last glimpse of the condemned person faced the Brickegickel, the rooster reminded them of Receptance, while the crucifix promised divine grace and forgiveness of their sins.

Da sah ein Schwede das eiserne Christusbild an dem Kreuze, und in der Wuth darüber, daß die Herren Schweden so tapfern Widerstand fanden an den Frankfurtern, legte er sein geladenes Gewehr an, zielte und schoß mit einem tüchtigen Fluche nach dem heiligen Bilde.Aber seine unheilige Rohheit ward sogleich bestraft.Die Kugel drang zwar einen halben Zoll tief in das eiserne Bild, prallte aber dennoch zurück und gerade in die Brust und in das Herz des christusfeindlichen Schweden, der demnach zum letztenmal geschossen hatte.Die Delle (Vertiefung) in der eisernen Wade aber ist heute noch zu sehen.Since time immemorial, a special custom existed on the Alte Brücke, the so-called Brückenfreiheit ("bridge freedom").

Beside commonplace Latin remarks about not breaking the law, harsh sanctions and protection of the righteous, the plate also contains the German text: Dieser Brücken freÿheit vermag, Daß niemand drauf beÿ nacht odr tag, Treib frevel, mutwill und gewalt, Sonst haut man ihm die Handt ab baldt.

After the Constitutio Criminalis Carolina of Emperor Charles V, drowning was listed as the designated punishment for theft, infanticide, incest, violation of legally imposed probation sanctions (breaking the "Urfehde"), poisoning and abortion.

The process of a drowning execution is described in detail in the "Lersnersche Chronik" ("chronicle of Lersner"): The convicted – which also included women, because women convicted to death had normally been drowned – were walked from the bridge tower, their prison, to the Brickegickel on the cross arch of the Alte Brücke: "Bis an die stat, da man pfleget zu richten" ("up to the place where the execution traditionally happens.")

When the last glimpse of the condemned person faced the Brickegickel, the rooster was supposed to remind them of Receptance, while the crucifix promised divine grace and forgiveness of their sins.

A major representative of the Kronberg artist colony, Fritz Wucherer, and the painter Otto Meisner created the last depictions of the Alte Brücke before it was deconstructed.

Its length, its firmness, and its fine appearance rendered it a notable structure, and it was, besides, almost the only memorial left from ancient times of the precautions due from the civil government to its citizens.

In his treatise "Über Lärm und Geräusch" ("about noises and sounds") of 1851, he wrote down his anger especially about "das vermaledeite infernale Peitschenknallen" ("the damned infernal whip cracks") of the waggoners in the reverberating alleys of the cities:[29] "With all due respect to the most holy usefulness, I do not accept that a guy, who moves a carriage of sand or dung to another place, should in return gain the privilege to scotch any upcoming thought in ten thousand minds on their half-hour route through the city.

"German: Bei allem Respekt vor der hochheiligen Nützlichkeit sehe ich doch nicht ein, daß ein Kerl, der eine Fuhr Sand oder Mist von der Stelle schafft, dadurch das Privilegium erlangen soll, jeden etwan aufsteigenden Gedanken in sukzessive zehntausend Köpfen (eine halbe Stunde Stadtweg) im Keime zu ersticken.It is likely that the Frankfurt waggoners incited this anger when they spurred on their horses and carriages with loud shouts and whip cracks, and when the iron-fitted wheels of the heavy vehicles rumbled over the cobbles of the road and the bridge:[29] German: Daß nun aber ein Kerl, der mit ledigen Postpferden, oder auf einem losen Karrengaul, die engen Gassen einer volkreichen Stadt durchreitend, oder gar neben den Thieren hergehend, mit einer klafterlangen Peitsche aus Leibeskräften unaufhörlich klatscht, nicht verdiene, sogleich abzusitzen, um fünf aufrichtig gemeinte Stockprügel zu empfangen, Das werden mir alle Philanthropen der Welt, nebst den legislativen, sämmtliche Leibesstrafen, aus guten Gründen, abschaffenden Versammlungen, nicht einreden.