You must be wondering what bridge did the devil build or how the bridge got the name ‘Devil’s Bridge’.
Devil’s Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe.
Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement in ancient architecture.
Due to their unusual design, they were an object of fascination and stories in antiquity and medieval Europe.
Each of the Devil’s bridges typically has a corresponding Devil-related myth or folktale regarding its origin.
These stories vary widely depending on the region and beliefs. Some have the Devil as the builder of the bridge, relating to the precariousness or impossibility of such a bridge to last or exist in the first place, so much so that only the Devil himself could have built it.
Others have the knowledge to build such bridges given to mankind as a gift from the Devil as part of a deal, pact, or bargain between the Devil and the local populace, usually in exchange for their souls.
In Germany, there is the Kromlauer Park, which is a delicately arched devil’s bridge known as the Rakotzbrücke, which was specifically built to create a circle when it is reflected in the waters beneath it.
Commissioned in 1860 by the knight of the local town, the thin arch stretching over the waters of the Rakotzsee is roughly built out of varied local stone.
While the bridge (as with all the others) was created by mortal hands, its builders did seem to hold the aesthetics of the bridge in higher regard than its utility.
Either end of the Rakotzbrücke is decorated with thin rock spires created to look like natural basalt columns, which occur in many places in Germany.
In addition, the curvature of the bridge is designed to be one half of a perfect circle, so that when the waters are still and the light is right, it creates the illusion of a complete stone circle.
Today, the bridge can still be viewed in the park, but crossing the aging relic is prohibited in order to preserve it.
The bridge is best visited during the fall when the foliage adds an element of wonder to the already surreal view.
