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Summary of the eRumor:
The email includes a picture of what appears to be a bridge for boats! It says the bridge is over the River Elbe and joins the former East and West Germany, part of a unification project.
The Truth:
The bridge is known as the Magdeburg Water Bridge and provides a link between two German shipping canals, the Elbe-Havel canal and the Mittellandkanal.
It's the longest and largest boat bridge in the world.
Connecting the two important canals has been envisioned since the early part of the last century and construction was actually begun in the 1930's but was hindered by two world wars and then the Cold War that split Germany into the East and the West.
The bridge is a kilometer long and cost more than $500 million Euros.
Without the bridge commercial traffic was dependent on the Elbe river, which was not reliable throughout the year because of occasions of low water levels, and which sometimes stranded boats and barges.
A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:
Water Bridge in Germany.... What a feat!
Six years, 500 million euros, 918 meters long.......now this is engineering!
This is a channel-bridge over the River Elbe and joins the former East and West Germany, as part of the unification project. It is located in the city of Magdeburg, near Berlin. The photo was taken on the day of inauguration.
To those who appreciate engineering projects.....
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