STORY: A crowd of spectators had gathered at a good distance to watch the spectacle and film it on their smartphones.

"The detonation was great. I saw the bridge being built when I was a child and now I wanted to see it being demolished as well," said Brunhilde Grombeil as spectators celebrated the successful detonation.

German Transport Minister Volker Wissing promised to do "everything we can to ensure that a new replacement building can be erected with maximum speed".

Around 330 pounds (150 kg) of explosives were needed to bring down the nearly 1,500 foot (453 metre) bridge, which was built between 1965 and 1968.