The Wonderful bridges The Wonderful bridges are one of the most interesting natural phenomenon in Bulgaria. They are situated in the central Rodopi mountain amlong the east coast of the Chernatitsa hill on 1450meters altitude. The Wonderful bridges are located 80 kilometers south of Plovdiv, 35 kilometers north-west of Chepelare, and only 5 kilometers north-west of the village of Zabardo. This amazing structures are actual marble arcs connecting the shores of Dalbok Dol river. The river rises from mount Goliam Persenk (2091) and swings its way down through the ancient fir and pine forests. The Wonderful bridges are also known as Erkiupria – deriving from the Turk “er”, meaning land, and “kiupria”- bridge.
The phenomenon is famous not only with its striking appearance, but with its history as well. Long time ago there has been a cave in the marble bed of the Dulbok Dol river which collapsed after an earthquake. The waters of the river cleaned the debris and little by little two natural marble bridges unique with their beauty appeared.
The first and the largest one is 96 meters long and 70 meters high. It's vault is 45 meters above the pure waters of the river. The marble structure is 12-15 meters wide, and there is a route onto it. There are two connected caves in its walls and man karst hollows which serve for homes of many bats and birds.
A lot of unique herbs and flowers can be found on the rocky hills of the two bridges some of which are endangered plants included on the Red Book. You can find the perfect spot for relaxation while enjoying the beauty of the phenomenon in the Wonderful Bridges Hut.
If you enjoy walking in the mountains the wonderful bridges region is the perfect startpoint with many eco paths connecting it to the Kabata hut, the Skalni Mostove hut, Izgrev hut and Persenk hut. Right underneath the mount of Persenk there is an ancient road, called the Rome path /Rimski pat/which was built in the first century b.cr.
