Marvelous Bridges
Чудните мостове
Interesting facts
- In 2012 the Bulgarian National Bank issued a silver 10-leva commemorative coin showing the bridges, struck in an edition of just 4,000.
- According to local legend, shepherds fed a dragon a donkey loaded with burning tinder, and the maddened beast tore open the gorge as it fled underground.
- The stream that carved the bridges rises on Golyam Persenk, one of the highest peaks of this part of the Rhodopes.
- The bridges were declared a protected natural landmark on 18 July 1949, and the protected area covers about 39 hectares.
- Beside the smaller bridge opens the entrance to Ledena Peshtera, the Ice Cave.
- The smaller bridge behaves like a tunnel: its broad mouth narrows gradually until it becomes a mere crack in the rock.
- The marble walls are home to Haberlea rhodopensis, a rare flowering plant of the Balkans, together with wild geranium.
Why it is worth it
The Marvelous Bridges — Chudnite Mostove in Bulgarian — are two huge natural rock arches spanning the valley of the Erkyupriya river high in the Western Rhodopes. The larger one is a massive vault of marble 96 metres long and up to 15 metres wide, carried on three arches; the biggest opening is about 45 metres high and 40 metres wide, and the stream runs beneath the middle span. Walking over the top, through old conifer forest, it is easy to forget that the "bridge" is a single piece of rock.
The formation is the work of water. The Erkyupriya, once a much larger river than the stream seen today, worked its way along fissures in the marble and hollowed out a cave; eventually the roof of the cave collapsed, leaving only the sections that now stand as bridges. About 200 metres downstream is the smaller bridge, 60 metres long and some 50 metres high, with an arch rising to about 30 metres. Further on, a third small opening marks the point where the river sinks underground; cavers have followed its course for around three kilometres to a flooded passage.
The bridges lie at about 1,450 metres above sea level in a wooded landscape, with two mountain huts nearby, and paths with safety rails lead across the larger arch. The site is included among the "100 National Tourist Sites" of Bulgaria. The surrounding Rhodopes are a region of karst valleys, caves and gorges, and the Marvelous Bridges are among their most remarkable features.
Getting there
The bridges are in the Western Rhodopes, about 30 km from the town of Chepelare and about 29 km in a straight line from Smolyan. The nearest airport is Plovdiv International Airport (PDV), about 36 km away in a straight line; the route by road through the mountains is considerably longer.
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From the encyclopaedia
The Marvelous Bridges or Wonderful Bridges are natural arches in the Rhodope Mountains of southern Bulgaria. They are located in the karst valley of the Erkyupriya River in the Western Rhodopes at 1,450 metres (4,760 ft) metres above sea level, at the foot of Persenk Peak.
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