On April 23, 2026, the “Neckarline” was opened in Rottweil – Baden-Württemberg’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge. The new landmark connects the historic old town with the test tower and offers visitors an impressive experience at heights of up to 60 meters. Fatzer, based in Romanshorn, supplied around 95 tons of high-performance ropes for the bridge’s support structure.
After more than ten years of planning, Baden-Württemberg’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge has opened in Rottweil. The “Neckarline” spans the Neckar Valley at heights of up to 60 meters, connecting two central areas of the city: the historic old town and the modern test tower on the opposite side of the valley. Up to 150,000 visitors are expected annually. The investments for the project amount to more than 12 million euros. The structure is already considered a new landmark for the region.
Neckarline: 606 meters across the Neckar Valley
With a length of 606 meters, the Neckarline is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Baden-Württemberg. In all of Germany, only the Skywalk in Willingen at 665 meters and the Highwalk in Rotenburg an der Fulda at 617 meters are longer – both of which also use ropes from Fatzer. The bridge spans the Neckar Valley at a height of around 60 meters, offering an extraordinary view of Rottweil and the surrounding landscape. The direct connection between the old town and the test tower creates not only a tourist attraction but also a new axis between two defining locations in the city. The Neckarline thus strengthens Rottweil’s visibility as a travel destination and creates an experience that combines architecture, engineering, and landscape.
High-performance ropes from Romanshorn
Fatzer made a central contribution to the bridge’s support structure with its high-performance ropes. In total, the Swiss company delivered around 95 tons of ropes. This includes, among others, four fully locked coil ropes with a diameter of 80 millimeters and a length of 617 meters each, as well as further fully locked coil ropes with diameters of 90, 40, and 25 millimeters. The Neckarline serves as a prime example of the role that high-quality rope technology plays in modern infrastructure and architectural projects.
Fully locked coil ropes are used wherever high load-bearing capacity, durability, and precise technical properties are required.
Image Source: Entstehung & Bau | Neckarline
Image Source: Entstehung & Bau | Neckarline
190-year history
In 2025, Fatzer looked back on a 190-year company history. The company was founded in 1835 by Joachim Fatzer in Romanshorn as a hemp ropeway. The ropes for agriculture and domestic use quickly enjoyed great popularity. With the rise of steam shipping in the mid-19th century, a new era began: Fatzer manufactured its first heavy-duty ropes and continuously expanded its technical expertise.
In 1914, the first rope-making machine with a manufacturing capacity of 15 tons was put into operation. This was followed by further investments in modern production facilities, including a tubular stranding machine and a 24-spool stranding machine. In 1952, production capacities were expanded and the first fully locked track rope was manufactured. Another milestone followed in 1975 with the installation of a stranding machine with a production capacity of 110 tons individual weight. Fatzer has been part of the BRUGG Group since 1992. In 2016, a new production building was opened in Romanshorn. Today, the modern machinery fleet enables a production capacity of around 10,000 tons per year. Fatzer operates worldwide in the fields of ropeway, architectural, and specialized ropes. Today, numerous world-record ropeways, among others, are equipped with ropes from Romanshorn.
High-performance ropes are also becoming increasingly important in the field of rope structures. For instance, ropes from Fatzer were used in the construction of the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Furthermore, Fatzer supplies ropes for major international projects such as the Guangzhou Football Park in China and the new stadium for Inter Miami CF, for which around 600 tons of ropes were delivered in 2025.