The Altenbeken Viaduct (, also known as Bekeviadukt or Großer Viadukt Altenbeken) is a long and up to high double track limestone railway viaduct. It spans the Beke valley, west of the town of Altenbeken, in the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The viaduct is Europe's longest limestone bridge, and its construction was one of the earliest significant events in the history of rail transport in Germany. As part of the Hamm–Warburg railway between Paderborn and Altenbeken, it is still in use today. It is also the emblem of Altenbeken, and is depicted, in stylized form, on the coat of arms of the municipality. History The viaduct was built by the Royal Westphalian Railway Company, and was inaugurated on 21 July 1853 by King Frederick William IV. He was the one who coined the phrase "I had thought I would find a golden bridge, because so many terrible dollars have been spent". The construction and opening of the viaduct and nearby station, rail yard and tunnel under the Rehberg caused the village of Altenbeken to develop into a railway town, which owes its present size almost exclusively to the railway. During World War II, the viaduct was a prime target of Allied bomb attacks, in which several columns were destroyed. According to the Americans, the Altenbeken Viaduct, together with the Schildesche Viaduct at Bielefeld, was one of the two most important German railway bridges. The Western Allies were hoping that their destruction would have a decisive effect on the war; they wanted to stop the vital coal supply lines and break the backbone of the German war economy. The stakes were correspondingly high: even the first Allied bombing raid of 26 November 1944 resulted in the greatest air battle of World War II. As early as September 1943, the second battery of Flakabteilung 943 zur Reichsverteidigung was posted at the viaduct until January 1944. The first air attack on 26 November 1944 by US bombers cut the important railway link. From then onwards, passengers had to climb about down ladders and then climb up the other side to continue in another train. Goods traffic was diverted to the Detmold-Herford-Bielefeld/Ost route. Following temporary repairs, the viaduct was again destroyed in February 1945. By May 1946, the viaduct could once again be traversed, over makeshift trackwork, at . Only on 2 October 1950 – almost six years after the first destructive attack