Nov 10th, 2019 : Kromlau Devil’s Bridge

[xoxoxoBruce]

Built to reflect a perfect circle, but only if the water is smooth and the level constant.
This one is in Germany’s Kromlau Park just four miles from the Polish border.

Unlike such landmarks as the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, these sites do not make the front page of a travel guide, but they do provide an extraordinary experience. Across Europe, oftentimes lurking hidden in nature or in the proximity of some lesser-known city, are the so-called Devil’s Bridges.
These are typically very old arch bridges, splendid examples of masonry workmanship, and in the times in which they were built, they made for a great technological and architectural achievement. What’s even more interesting is that these Devil’s Bridges are associated with folklore. As the name of the bridge goes, one of the main characters in the tale is, of course, the Devil himself.

As mentioned, Europe has many of these bridges. France alone possesses around 50, and they are known as Pond du Diable. They can also be found in Italy, under the name Ponte del Diavolo. More can be seen in almost any corner of the old continent, from Portugal on the Atlantic Ocean to Estonia on the Baltic, or from the United Kingdom in the northwest to Romania and Bulgaria on the Balkans. But probably the most spectacular example of this type of bridge is nearly hidden in Kromlau Park, the largest park to be found in the German region of Saxony.

Most of the Devil’s Bridges in Europe were erected in the medieval days, or to be more exact, in the period between 1000 and 1600 AD. However Rakotzbrücke appears to be a bit newer than that. This bridge was completed in 1860, after its construction had been commissioned by local town authorities. The marvelous piece blends fieldstone and basalt in certainly one of the finest examples of its kind. In order to compose the basalt columns, the bridge builders needed to ship the material from far away quarries.

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