Devil's Bridge

Devil’s Bridge is a term applied to two or three dozen ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement. Local lore often wrongly attributes these bridges to the Roman era, but in fact many of them are medieval, having been built between 1000 and 1600 AD.

The bridges that fall into the Devil’s Bridge category are so numerous that the legends about them form a special category in the Aarne-Thompson classification system for folktales (Number 1191). Some of the legends have elements of related folktale categories, for example Deceiving the Devil (AT #1196), The Devil's Contract (AT #756B), and The Master Builder legends.
Teufelsbrücke of St. Gotthard Pass, Switzerland.
Teufelsbrücke of St. Gotthard Pass, Switzerland.

One version of the tale presents the bridge builder and the Devil as adversaries. This reflects the fact that in many cases—such as the Teufelsbrücke[1] at the St. Gotthard Pass, pictured left—these bridges were built under such challenging conditions that successful completion of the bridge required a heroic effort on the part of the builders and the community, ensuring its legendary status.

Other versions of the legend feature an old lady or a simple herder who makes a pact with the Devil. In this version the devil agrees to build the bridge, and in return he will receive the first soul to cross it. After building the bridge (often overnight) the devil is outwitted by his adversary and is last seen descending into the water, bringing peace to the community. Each of the bridges that have received the Devil's Bridge appellation is remarkable in some regard; most often for the technological hurdles surpassed in building the bridge, but on occasion also for its aesthetic grace, or for its economic or strategic importance to the community it serves.


Partial list of Devil's Bridges

France

* Pont du Diable - Aniane (Gorges de l'Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon)
* Pont du Diable - Villemagne-l'Argentière (Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon)
* Pont du Diable - Beaugency
* Pont du Diable - Céret
* Pont du Diable - Foix
* Pont du Diable - Olargues
* Pont du Diable - Valentré

Italy

* Ponte del Diavolo - Ascoli Piceno, Marche
* Ponte del Diavolo - Blera, Lazio
* Ponte del Diavolo (officially Ponte Vecchio, also Ponte Gobbo) - Bobbio, Emilia Romagna
* Ponte del Diavolo (or Ponte della Maddalena) - Borgo a Mozzano, Tuscany
* Ponte del Diavolo - Cavallara (a frazione of Gualdo Cattaneo, Umbria)
* Ponte del Diavolo - Cividale, Friuli
* Ponte del Diavolo - Dronero, Province of Cuneo, Piedmont
* Ponte del Diavolo - Lanzo Torinese, Piedmont
* Ponticello del Diavolo (‘the Devil’s little bridge’) - Torcello, Veneto

United Kingdom

* Devil's Bridge - Devil's Bridge (Pontarfynach), Ceredigion
* Devil's Bridge - Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria
* Devil's Bridge - Horace Farm, Pennington Parish, Cumbria

Other countries

* Ponte do Diabo - Vila Nova, Portugal
* Ponte do Diabo - Misarela, Portugal
* Puente del Diablo - Martorell, Spain
* Teufelsbrücke - St. Gotthard Pass, Switzerland
* Tüfelsbrugg - Commune of Egg, Switzerland, Switzerland
* Dyavolski most (Дяволски мост) - near Ardino, Bulgaria
* Hudičev most - Bohinj, Slovenia
* Duivelsbrug - Breda, Netherlands
* Moara Dracului - Câmpulung Moldovenesc, Romania