The Göltzschtal bridge is the biggest brick bridge in the world; the Elstertal bridge fondly referred to as its 'little sister'. Both attract thousands of visitors each year who come to admire the sheer splendour, high quality masonry and architectural design of the bridges. Seen in perspective of the time they were built and the limited technology available, the viaducts become even more awe-inspiring.

The two viaducts were built between the years 1846 and 1851 as part of the Saxon-Bavarian State railway. This was begun in 1841 and ran from Leipzig to Nuremberg. They were necessary to cross the deep Göltzsch and White Elster valleys but many were unconvinced that this could be done. The locomotive engines at the time could only cope with an increase of 1 metre in every 100. The fact that a 30m high brick bridge had recently collapsed in Northern France did nothing to inspire the people's confidence. The sheer size of the bridges and the weight of the continuous rail traffic they would have to bear presented an unprecedented design task.

A competition was organised in 1845 with 81 entries submitted, none of which were deemed satisfactory. The Examining Committee, comprising the top construction experts in Saxony, therefore decided to draw up a project themselves. Prof. Johann Andreas Schubert, a local man from Wernesgrün, was appointed design engineer. He was already held in high esteem and had proved his technical skill by having constructed the first German locomotive- the Saxonia, an the first German stem ship.

Local forests were chopped down for the scaffolding and the village of Lauschgrün; Vogtland's youngest village, was built on the site of one such wood. Brickyards were set up along the route to save on transport costs.
Shortly after the foundation stone was laid on 3lst May 1846, technical and financial difficulties brought the construction to a standstill. It was discovered that the ground in the middle was too soft to support a pillar.

In September 1850 the final brick or keystone was set into place. The Göltzschtal bridge and the Elstertal bridge were formally opened on l5th July 1851 and the first rail connection over the previously unsurpassable valleys completed. The ceremony was attended by King Frederick August II, who praised Chief Engineer Robert Wilke and Construction Engineer Ferdinand Dost for their work and rwardet them with a large plaque each on the top level of the bridge. Andreas Schubert however, was not invited due to his political ideals; he only received a commemorative plaque 150 years after his birthday, in 1958. (This can be seen at the base of the bridge.)

The bridges first saw 4 trains in 24 hours pass over them; this increased to over 200. They were so well constructed that, as far as the bridge was concerned, no restrictions on either amount of traffic or speed were necessary. The first repair work was not carried out until the Weimar Republic, 80 years after their opening, thus proving their durability and superb craftsmanship at a time when nearly everything was still done by hand.