This bridge is over the Elbe River near the city of Magdeburg, Germany. Two shipping channels were connected with an elevated section about 1 km long. The boats go up at one end and down at the other using locks. The Elbe’s depth varies with the seasons making it impassable by large barges at times, so they bypassed it by going up and over. The picture was taken on the day of the inauguration in 2003.
This animation from the Panama Canal Authority shows how they work:
There is a panorama at Flickr.
Update
Chris reminded me that I should have linked to deputydog’s list of hardcore boat lifts.
