The bridge crosses the Ravenna Gorge that ends in the upper Höllental valley, and has a grade of 12 metres (39 ft).

The first structure was completed in 1885 and consisted of a steel cantilever span that rested on three mortared sandstone block pillars.

The bridge had a slight curve, and trains were limited to a speed of 15 kilometres per hour (9 mph) and an axle load of 16 tonnes (16 long tons).

Heavier locomotives and faster speeds led to the construction in 1926–27 of the current structure, a mortared stone viaduct with nine arches and an arch span of 20 metres (66 ft), which also had the effect of straightening the railway line.

It was re-built in 1947–48, under the direction of French occupying forces and with the use of German prisoners of war obligated to undertake compulsory labour, so that large quantities of logs from the Black Forest that had to be delivered as war reparations could be transported out.