The current viewpoint in front of the Elbtor is the only remaining pillar of the bridge that was built in the postwar years using the remains of and modeled after the historic arch-and-stave bridge; it was demolished again in 1994 and replaced by a modern steel composite structure.

Shortly before the Allied forces met at Torgau, the bridge that had spanned the Elbe in front of Hartenfels Castle since 1878 was blown up. The re-enacted photograph of the handshake was taken amidst the rubble. A few years after the end of the war, a new bridge was rebuilt using materials from the original structure.

Photo credits:  Wolfgang Sens, Bildzitat nach "Der Torgauer Doppelkopf von Ingo Domdey", hrsg. von KAP Torgau 1997, S. 2.