The idea of building a bridge on this site dates back to the 19th century - about 150 years after the first plans were made, the bridge was ceremoniously opened during a public festival on 24/25 August 2013 and opened to traffic on Monday 26 August 2013. After a referendum in 2005 was overwhelmingly in favour of the bridge, the city of Dresden was deprived of the UNESCO World Heritage title for the cultural landscape of the Dresden Elbe Valley.

It connects the district of Johannstadt with the Radeberger Vorstadt over a total length of 636 metres. The bridge is almost 30 metres wide and 26.4 metres high. The name "Waldschlösschenbrücke" comes from the Waldschlösschenareal, a residential and business district on the Heiderand, which today forms the northern bridgehead.