Arta's Bridge

About

The river at Arta has been traversed by a stone bridge since the Roman era, though this collapsed and was rebuilt on many occasions, the last time, under the Ottoman rule in 1612. According to local folklore, the workers would work all day on the bridge, only to have it collapse each night. After many failed attempts, a bird with a human voice told the head builder that if he wished the bridge to stand, he would need to sacrifice his wife. As the wife is being buried in the bridge's foundations, she curses the structure, but quickly changes it to a blessing when she realizes her brother will be crossing it. Since then, the bridge has withstood everything that has been thrown at it.