Europe's Devil's Bridges

Europe is positively riddled with unique, gravity-defying, old stone bridges. If that weren't interesting enough, many of them have weird, Satan-y legends behind them. In nearly all of these tales, the bridge builder, overcome by the obstacles of constructing a bridge under such challenging conditions, makes a deal with the devil, who apparently has a degree in civil engineering. These bridges have become known as Devil's Bridges.

There are so many bridges in Europe with links to the devil that one would think the demon spent the majority of his time building bridges. In reality, the bridges are a testament to the engineering and construction ability of the builders of antiquity. They faced unique challenges that made building conventional bridges impossible, so really, it's kind of a slap in the face that people credit their impressive appearance and design to supernatural assistance.

All of the legends that claim the devil helped to build bridges have a common thread in that the devil's services don't come cheap. In some stories, he demands the soul of the original bridge builder, but in most of them, the devil asks for the soul of the first person to cross the completed bridge. It doesn't seem like those would be the bridge builder's to give, but it doesn't matter, because in the bulk of these stories, the devil is tricked. In at least one story, the devil demanded the soul of the bridge builder upon completion of the project, so the builder purposely left out one stone, leaving the bridge incomplete. In others, a dog is sent across the bridge first, frustrating the devil even though a dog's soul is surely worth more than a human's.

Construction on the Pont Valentre bridge in France began in 1308, but it took 70 years to complete. At some point, the devil was called in for backup, and according to the story, he asked for the builder's soul as his payment for the task. The builder agreed to relinquish his soul to the devil when the bridge was completed. When it came time to mix the last batch of mortar for the final touches of the bridge, however, the builder gave the devil a sieve instead of a bowl, to ensure that the bridge would not see completion.

Switzerland's Teufelsbrucke Bridge spans the raging Reuss River in the Schöllenen Gorge, a treacherous passage. In the 13th century, the devil was asked to build a bridge over the fast-moving water, and as usual, he asked for the soul of the first crosser as his payment. The people of the nearby village sent a goat across the bridge first, throwing the devil into such a hissy fit that he vowed to destroy the bridge. He picked up a large boulder and started to hurl it toward the bridge, but just then, an elderly woman from the town confronted the devil with her cross. The devil fled but dropped the boulder, which can be seen nearby.





In Bulgaria, the Devil's Bridge of Ardino is a stunning stone bridge over the Ardo River. According to local legend, the devil was the architect of the bridge, and during its construction, he often walked back and forth on the stones. It is said that the devil left a footprint on one of the stones of the bridge, but that it is only visible in low light. People living nearby are still superstitious about crossing the bridge at night, but to be fair, it's probably just not very safe. What idiot decided to build a bridge that slants upward? Oh. Right.

Why does God never get the credit?

From the OP:

it's kind of a slap in the face that people credit their impressive appearance and design to supernatural assistance.

Ain't it though?
~snip~

In others, a dog is sent across the bridge first, frustrating the devil even though a dog's soul is surely worth more than a human's.

Say what?  ??? 

Interesting stuff, though.  Thanks.

Calypso Jones wrote:Why does God never get the credit?

He got all the buildings.   :)

I just think they are beautiful.

Red Lily wrote:I just think they are beautiful.

That, they are.  And I think it's Old Wives' Tales that are giving credit to the devil, rather than to where it really belongs.  Likely simply 'cuz it makes it more interesting.

Yes. The credit lies solely with those amazing engineers of yore imo.

those in reality are piles of shit. now, research " keystone ". with a properly designed and installed keystone, the arch will last forever. without a keystone, youre relying upon the entire interigty of the top layers of the entire bridge for pressure support, as with a keystone, only each arch is integral to the design.

They've lasted hundreds of years which is more than we can say about a lot of modern bridges.