Although the new Rügen Bridge is not an architectural monument, it is a significant landmark of the Hanseatic City of Stralsund.
After a three-year construction period (August 2004 to October 2007), the Rügen Bridge was opened by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the end of 2007. The construction costs amounted to around 125 million euros. With a total length of 4,097 meters (including 2,831 meters of bridge construction), the three-lane bridge connects Germany's largest island with the mainland. It relieves the Rügen causeway, which until then had been the only connection to the island. At peak times, this measures a vehicle volume of 30,000 vehicles daily. The two pylons of the cable-stayed bridge are 127.75 meters high and the curved shape of the crossing imitates a sailing yacht. In addition, Germany's largest cable-stayed bridge is 42 meters high, making it an ideal clearance for international shipping traffic.