The current bridge, made of Neckar sandstone and the ninth built on the site, was constructed in 1788 by Elector Charles Theodore, and is one of the best-known landmarks and tourist destinations in Heidelberg.

Although the Karl Theodor Bridge was completed nearly 250 years ago, it is young compared to the age of Heidelberg.

On March 29, 1945, German troops blew up three of the bridge’s arches and two of its pillars, features that were restored after the end of World War II.

Although the exact date of construction is unknown, it is believed to have been built shortly after the foundation of the city of Heidelberg in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century.

As well as connecting the town with Schönau Abbey, the bridge may have encouraged north-south traffic to pass through Heidelberg, rather than around it.

[2] The bridge marked the border of the County Palatinate of the Rhine, as the northern bank of the Neckar belonged to the Electorate of Mainz until 1460.

A small, round woodcut in Münster's 1527 Calendarium Hebraicum shows a simple view of Heidelberg, including the bridge, but there is a much more detailed depiction in the artist's Cosmographia of 1550.

In the Heidelberg Panorama a bridge on eight stone pillars is visible, with a covered wooden roadway that is open at the sides.

The Affenturm was rebuilt in smaller scale at the northern gate, allowing barracks to be built on the second and seventh piers, where the statues of Karl Theodor and Minerva now stand.