Between the late 1920s and early 1930s, Erich Heckel went on numerous journeys that took him to a wide variety of areas in Germany and neighboring countries and expanded his painterly oeuvre to include pure landscape depictions. The figurative, which used to play such an important role, would become secondary. The present painting was made in context of these landscape paintings, which clearly differ from his expressionist work. Heckel dedicated himself to a world of moderately realistic ideas, which henceforth determined his works. Erich Heckel began to make works in which the scenic became the subject of the picture. "If we follow Heckel's path in landscapes and cityscapes between 1926 and 1932, it is striking how much the quest for a new pictorial space, for a stronger value of the individual form, would lead to increasingly complex compositions. Heckel’s desired emphasis of details important for the picture, indispensable for every city view, in no way corresponds, and this should be emphasized once again, to a predominance of the individual form over the pictorial organism. On the contrary." (Paul Vogt, Years of Travel, in: Paul Vogt, Erich Heckel, Recklinghausen 1965, p. 80). Following the invitation of the painter Gertraud Rostosky, the Heckel couple went to Würzburg, where they stayed at the "Neue Welt" (New World) estate on the outskirts of the city for a longer period of time. In the first half of the 20th century, this was a meeting place, transit stop and summer residence for artists, writers and intellectuals and gained national fame as such. With numerous artists working together and exchanging their ideas, the "Neue Welt" saw its heyday in the summer months from 1922 to 1927. During her training in Paris, Rostosky got to know the German artists' circle of the »Café du Dôme«, many of whom then visited her in Würzburg. The hospitable house increasingly developed into a "palladium of the arts", housing artists such as Otto Modersohn and Alfred Kubin, as well as the publisher and Simplicissimus editor Korfiz Holm and Ernst Rowohlt in addition to Erich Heckel. In addition to the gatherings at the "Neue Welt", there were also exhibitions and lectures, as well as painting courses taught by Gertraud Rostosky. Naturally, there was social life, too. Otto Modersohn, for instance, celebrated his 60th birthday with many guests on the spacious terrace. During Heckel's stay at the "Neue Welt", he made seven views of Würzburg, of which five were destroyed in World War II or are considered lost. In addition to the present "Landschaft mit drei Brücken", the "Marienveste bei Würzburg" has also been preserved. From 1977-2000 it was on display at the Federal Chancellery in Bonn and can now be seen in the Museum im Kulturspeicher in Würzburg. [SM]