Kaiser Wilhelm II himself attended the 1894 opening of the Levensau High Bridge just outside of Kiel, its elegant arch a local landmark that makes it one of the most popular of the canal’s 10 bridges. Originally, it carried railroad and car traffic as well as pedestrians, until a second motorway bridge was built in the 1980s. Happily, the bridge has also proved to be of ecological value as the home to thousands of bats who live in its abutments. There have been discussions about possibly replacing the bridge with a new wider one, so its future is uncertain.
