The Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge is a road bridge

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

 in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

.

It carries the N51

N51 road (Luxembourg)

The N51 is a road in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is one of the city's main thoroughfares, carrying traffic from Ville Haute, through Kirchberg, to a junction with the A1. For the north-eastern three quarters of its length, on the eastern side of the Alzette, it bears the name...

 across the Alzette

Alzette

The Alzette is a river with a length of 73 kilometers in France and Luxembourg. It is a right tributary of the Sauer.It rises in Thil near the town Villerupt in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département, France. It crosses the border with Luxembourg after a few kilometres. In Lameschmillen it is joined...

, connecting the Avenue John Fitzgerald Kennedy, in Kirchberg

Kirchberg

-Austria:*Kirchberg am Wagram, a town in Lower Austria*Kirchberg am Wechsel, a town in Lower Austria*Kirchberg an der Raab, a town in Styria*Kirchberg bei Mattighofen, a town in the district of Braunau, Upper Austria...

, to Boulevard Robert Schuman, in Limpertsberg

Limpertsberg

Limpertsberg is a quarter in north-western Luxembourg City, in the centre of Luxembourg.In the south, on the border with the main city is the Glacis, a large open air parking lot which hosts the annual Schueberfouer fair, the largest fair in the country...

. The bridge is also known as the Red Bridge on account of its distinctive red paintwork.

It is the main route connecting the city centre, Ville Haute

Ville Haute

Ville Haute is a quarter in central Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg.In 2001, the quarter had a population of 2,686 people.It is the historical center of Luxembourg City and is involved in its UNESCO World Heritage Site status....

, to Kirchberg, the site of the city's European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 institutions. It was built with the intention of promoting the choice of Luxembourg as the final seat of the European Communities

European Communities

The European Communities were three international organisations that were governed by the same set of institutions...

. While the bridge was under construction, the Merger Treaty

Merger Treaty

The Merger Treaty was a European treaty which combined the executive bodies of the European Coal and Steel Community , European Atomic Energy Community and the European Economic Community into a single institutional structure.The treaty was signed in Brussels on 8 April 1965 and came into force...

 was signed, maintaining the previous separation of locations, but preserving Luxembourg as the location of several institutions.

German architect Egon Jux

Egon Jux

Egon Jux was a German architect. He is best known for the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, Luxembourg and Köhlbrandbrücke, Hamburg.Jux was a student of the French architect Le Corbusier.-References:...

 designed the bridge, beating 68 competitors in a competition launched by Luxembourg's government in 1957. Construction began in 1962, with official groundbreaking

Groundbreaking

Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...

 on 20 June 1963 by Charlotte

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg was the reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 to 1964.-Early life and life as Grand Duchess:...

, then Grand Duchess

Grand Duke of Luxembourg

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the sovereign monarch and head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was elevated from a duchy when placed in personal union with the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...

. Construction was finished in 1965, and the bridge opened in October 1966. It is named after Charlotte.