Bridge of Arta

39.15166666666720.974722222222Koordinaten: 39 ° 9 ' 6 "N, 20 ° 58' 29" O

The Bridge of Arta on the Arachthos is the most famous historical bridge in Greece. It was mentioned already in antiquity by Pliny and is from the time of King Pyrrhus of Epirus I. originate.

In its present form the bridge dates back to 1612 and is thus an Ottoman building. It is built of stone and has four arches. The longest span is 25 m, the total length of 130 m.

Many plays and fairy tales of Greek history have this bridge to the object. According to legend, the builder had to be walled his wife in the bridge to complete this. By the provision of this sacrifice the bridge collapsed overnight again and again.

The People's Poem: The Bridge of Arta

Forty-five masters and journeymen sixty built a bridge over the river of Arta. They built the whole day, but at night everything broke down again. The masons wailed and the helpers cried: " Shame on all of our efforts, all the work for nothing. If your not a man: All that we build during the day, at night coincides " A little bird came and sat over to the river, it did not sing like a bird, not like a swallow, but it sang and spoke with a human voice ." einmauert, no bridge is available, and supported a not an orphan, a stranger and not travelers, but only the Master Builder pretty woman passes by in the morning to early evening to late. " hearing this the foreman and overtaken by the fear of death. He attacks, he sends his lean with the bird with the nightingale message: Slowly she should move, slowly they will attract each other, slowly they should go in the evening, late, they should go and cross the bridge of Arta. And the bird heard off and said, " Get dressed quickly, get dressed quickly in order, bring the food quickly, quickly you should go and cross the bridge of Arta. "

Then she appeared in front of the white path. The foreman saw her and it broke his heart. " Good day and all the best for you their masters and journeymen, but what did the foreman that he is in such trouble? " "His ring has fallen to him under the first pillar, and who is there to go down to find the ring?" " Master do not be sad, I will bring him to thee, I 'll go down to find the ring. "Neither deep down until the middle came they, " Put the chain my dear, the chains pull up, I have everything searched but I have found nothing. "

One swivels the trowel, the next the lime, the foreman takes a big stone and lets him fall down. " Oh we that our lot is a shame to our destiny! Three sisters we were and disaster came upon us all three, a built-in above the Danube River, the. Others over the Euphrates, and I the youngest in the Bridge of Arta Just as the Carnation shakes to shake the bridge and as the leaves fall from the trees, pedestrians shall fall. "

"Daughter, change your words, give another curse, you have only one brother who could cross it by accident. " And she changed her words, saying a new curse: "If the wild hills tremble, tremble then the bridge, and when the wild birds fall, then the passers-by to drop because I have a brother in the stranger who could cross it by accident. "