By way of reminder: the crossing over the Bóbr River was necessary for the construction of the line connecting Berlin with Wrocław. From 1843 onward, the line was built by Lower Silesian Railway Company. The work was supervised by the well-known Bolesławiec architect Fryderyk Engelhardt Gansel. Despite his skill and the recognition he enjoyed, Gansel had to pay 8,000 thalers as security for the investment. Unable to provide such a considerable sum, he mortgaged his house. The town also had to bear certain costs. The land for the construction of the line, including the viaduct and railway station, was provided free of charge. However, Bolesławiec was obliged to compensate the owners of the plots through which the Berlin–Wrocław route ran. The buyout cost 25,000 thalers.
Construction of the viaduct began on 17 May 1844. The first test run took place as early as 5 July 1846, and on 17 September 1846 the structure was ceremonially opened by the King of Prussia, Frederick William IV, who arrived in Bolesławiec with his wife.
The construction of the entire railway line was a huge investment at the time and had social and economic significance. Several hundred workers were employed in its construction. A post office was also located next to the railway station, which was intended to improve the delivery of consignments. Railways brought enormous development in the nineteenth century. Even seemingly minor railway lines, such as the Bóbr Valley Railway, were important communication and transport hubs. Connecting smaller towns—Bolesławiec and Jelenia Góra—with Wrocław and Berlin accelerated their development and strengthened trade between them.
The most interesting aspect of the entire undertaking is the statistics, which confirm how major an investment the construction of the crossing over the Bóbr River was.
The completed viaduct is 26 metres high, 490 metres long and 8 metres wide. Of its 35 arches, the 7 widest are located over the surface of the Bóbr; they are 15 metres wide. The 20 central arches have a span of 11.3 metres, while the 8 outer ones measure 5.65 metres.
The structure has piers 3.75 metres thick, as well as smaller ones measuring from 3.15 to 2.5 metres. Building material was obtained from the quarry in Dobra. A total of 33,400 m³ of stone was used [na podstawie A. Bober, Czas Bolesławiecki, nr 2/1.10.1998].
As I have already mentioned, a whole host of workers were employed on the investment—600 in total. One hundred people were engaged in constructing the scaffolding alone, and the cost of the wooden structure enabling the construction work amounted to 60,000 thalers.
What were wages like at the time? Apparently, as today, skilled labour was valued. Masons earned the most, receiving 17 silver groschen for 12 hours of work, while the other workers received 9. Wages during construction increased by as much as 33% [Zob. Tamże], while work performed at night was paid at double the rate.
For comparison, a less-skilled female harvester earned between 5 and 10 silver groschen at the time and was also provided with food by the farmer.
At the turn of the 1840s and 1850s, prices in the western regions of Prussia were as follows: a large loaf of bread cost 3 silver groschen, a pound of bacon cost 5–6 silver groschen, a quart of milk cost 1–2.5 silver groschen, a quart of spirits cost 5 silver groschen, and a barrel of beer cost 3 thalers.
For now, these prices probably do not tell us much. We therefore need to take a closer look at the monetary system and units of measurement used at the time.
In nineteenth-century Prussia—and we should remember that Silesia became a Prussian province in 1742—the thaler was commonly used as currency. A thaler was a silver coin of considerable value. It functioned as Prussian currency from the eighteenth century onward. After 1821, a monetary reform was carried out, and from then on the thaler was divided into 30 silver groschen, which in turn were divided into 360 copper pfennigs. This system existed until 1873, when the thaler was replaced by the German mark.
As for the measures used in historic Lower Silesia, a pound corresponded to 0.4677 kilograms, while a quart was slightly more than a litre—exactly 1.145 litres. In this case, the Berlin quart is meant. There was also the Old Polish quart, corresponding to 1.125 litres, but here we are dealing with the former volume unit mentioned first.
For the excellent completion of the viaduct’s construction, architect Gansel received the Order of the Red Eagle from Frederick William IV. It was one of the most important Prussian decorations, second in the hierarchy only to the Order of the Black Eagle.
The successful Bolesławiec investment cost a total of 400,000 thalers. It can still be admired today as a magnificent engineering structure.
Paweł Skiersinis
The author is a blogger and history enthusiast, particularly interested in the history of Lower Silesia and Poland. Why Lower Silesia? As he says: “Why not? The most interesting history is the history around us, concerning us and our ancestors.”
He adds: “I try to present history from a different perspective, in an engaging way, not in the typical textbook style, full of dry dates and facts. My articles concern facts that cannot be found in textbooks and well-known publications. The history of Lower Silesia is undoubtedly interesting and fascinating, so it is worth devoting at least a brief moment to it from time to time.”