Devil’s Bridge – An architectural marvel that spans the Arda River, and has stories of a haunted past.
The Devil’s Bridge is an arch bridge over the Arda River in a narrow gorge. It is 10 km (6.2 mi) from the Bulgarian town of Ardino in the Rhodope Mountains and is part of the ancient road connecting the lowlands of Thrace with the north Aegean Sea coast.
Devil’s Bridge was rebuilt between 1515 and 1518 by the Bulgarian Master Dimitar under the Ottoman occupation of Bulgaria. Legend has it that the bridge was built by the Romans to link the Aegean Sea and the region of Thrace in Bulgaria. The bridge, the largest and best known of its kind in the Rhodopes, is 56 m (183.7 ft) long and has three arches, but also features holes with small semicircular arches to read water level. The Devil’s Bridge is 3.5 m (11.5 ft) wide and its main arch is 11.50 m (37.7 ft) high.
The bridge was declared a cultural monument in 1984. It was also the spot for filming several scenes from the 1988 Bulgarian movie “Time of Violence” (“Vreme Razdelno”).
The bridge is situated in a remote area of Bulgaria. It is therefore advisable to visit it in the afternoon on a sunny day. There is no public transport to the area and visitors need to use their personal vehicle or hire a taxi. Four centuries after it was built the bridge still stands strong and usable. If you tilt your head the bridge and its image in the water creates an image of the devil’s face including the eyes and horn.
The bridge can be reached by car, passing along a rough road. It is located between the villages of Dyadovtsi and Latinka, 10 kilometers from Ardino and about 5 kilometers from Dyadovtsi.
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