The Grasshopper Bridge

The Grasshopper Bridge or Karrebaeksminde Bridge connects Karrebaeksminde with Enø at Næstved.

The current Karrebæksminde bridge is a drawbridge with a counterweight at approx. 100 tons, this consists of 14.8 tonnes of old horseshoes and 5 tonnes of steel shaft, the entire bridge weighs 200 tons.

Since the bridge was inaugurated in 1936, it appeared in a gray color, but in 1988 took Karrebæk / Karrebaeksminde Business Assosiation initiative to renovate the bridge to the 50-years-opening jubilee of the bridge. They get the artist Tommy Hofman to decorate the bridge to a grasshopper.

On 16 July 1988, the bridge will be named the Grasshopper naming was done by Port and City Councilor Birgit Jorgensen, who was also chairman of the port jubilee committee. At the same time 60 grasshoppers were released free. The local musician Bjarne Nilsson wrote a song for the bridge.

In 2003 the bridge was seen with cracks and it becomes again renovated, but not painted in his green grasshopper color.

In 2005, the Karrebæk / Karrebaeksminde Business Assosiation brings back initiative to decorate the Grasshopper Bridge with a grasshopper head, and they choose a young artist Naestved, Lizette Rosager, to decorate the bridge. The decor is a big expense for the association, but it will eventually collect the necessary 280,000 DKK in the project run up in. On 3 June 2006, the Grasshopper revealed in a new guise, the reopening was made by the city mayor Henning Jensen.

The bridge has retained its original green color, but has a new face marker and feelers, which is done by good 1000 kg. copper.