For the population of  Berlin, Glienicke Bridge was “the back of beyond”: a coach journey at the end of the 17^th century took around eight hours - a day`s journey.

The wooden bridge was very susceptible to the effects of the elements and had to be repaired a number of times. As industrialization and traffic steadily increased - a daily mail coach link between Berlin and Potsdam was set up in 1754, the first Prussian avenue linking linking the two royal capitals was built across the bridge between 1792 and 1795, the first Prussian railway from Berlin to Potsdam was opened in 1838 -, a new bridge was needed.

The architect and master builder Karl Friedrich Schinkel was commissioned to design a new bridge across the river Havel. Between 1831 and 1834 the second Glienicke Bridge was built of bricks in accordance with Schinkel`s plans. The bridge had ten arches and ist central wooden section could be raised to allow vessels through. This reflected the large increase in steamer traffic on the river.

The edifice fitted in perfectly with the surrounding palace and park landscapes of Glienicke, Babelsberg and Potsdam, sites which the garden architect Peter Joseph Lenné had been principally responsible for designing. Alexander von Humboldt is reported to have said that the view from Glienicke Bridge vied with the most beautiful places in the world.

However, this new architectural masterpiece was unable to cope with the increasing volume of traffic for very long. In the first year of the 20^th century just under 20.000 vehicles crossed the relatively narrow bridge in peak months. The cumbersome movable wooden structure slowed down the increasing steamer traffic on the river unnecessarily.