Dyavolski most of Ardino, Bulgaria: an architectural marvel that spans the Arda River, with stories of a haunted past.

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3 months ago Ivan

We are in Bulgaria.
Built between 1515 and 1518 in the early 16th century by a builder Dimitar from the nearby village of Nedelino, Dyavolski Most, the Devil’s Bridge or also known in Turkish as “Sheytan Kyupriya”, is the most stunning of the humpbacked bridges that cross the Arda River. It is a mystic place, it is a monument of culture and it is one of the best locations for fishing.
It was constructed over a demolished Roman bridge and cuts from the steep slopes of the Rhodope Moutains along an ancient road linking the Aegean Sea and the Gornotrakiiskata Nizina, Northern Thracian Valley.

The bridge is located near the town of Ardino, which even has a water fountain shaped like the bridge, and It’s one of several “devil’s bridges” found around Europe.
It is 3.5 m wide and its main arch is 11.50 m high.
It has three arches, but also features holes with small semicircular arches to read water level.
The reason some locals are hesitant to cross at night is rooted in dark lore and several legends.
One story is that the head builder’s wife passed away during construction, so her shadow was encased in the structure. And that’s why the bridge is so stable. Another story says that you can see the devil’s foot somewhere imprinted in the rocks.
Although this is all local folklore, its towering form does make for a somewhat unsettling vista in the darkness.

Either way, this is one of the places in Bulgaria that is still authentic, and there you won’t see retailers or coffee-houses. The only people that you can meet are some tourists heard about this place or some local fishermen.
Because the bridge is very close to artificial lake, here you can find different kind of fish, including Rudd, European chub, Barbell, Nase and Danube Bleak.
If you ask a local fisherman where the best places for fishing are, he’ll definitely tell you: “They are all best!”
So, no matter if you are a good fisherman or no, you’ll have good fish catch here!
The bridge was declared a cultural monument in 1984. It was also the spot for filming several scenes from the 1988 Bulgarian movie “Vreme Razdelno”, “Time of Violence”.