Mesi Bridge across the river Kir in Skohder (Albania)

 

Gur, gur bëhet kalaja.

Stone after stone, you can build a castle.

Albanian Saying

Old Bridge over the Tarn River in Albi, Tarn (France)

On the banks of the Tarn river in south-west France, the old city of Albi reflects the culmination of a medieval architectural and urban ensemble. Today the Old Bridge (Pont-Vieux), the Saint-Salvi quarter and its church are testimony to its initial development (10th -11th centuries).

Episcopal City of Albi

as UNESCO World Heritage Site

Pont Vieux over the Aude River in Carcassonne, Aude (France)

 


“We are living in modern times throughout the world and yet are dominated by medieval minds.”

Eqbal Ahmad

Pont Vieux (Old Bridge) over the river Orbieu in Lagrasse, Aude (France)

L'autre hier, cheminant le long du vieux sentierJe parvins au cours d'eau qui fuit vers la savane
Le soleil déclinait, et l'horizon altier
Alignait les sapins comme une caravane

Évoquant le passé, je fis halte au vieux pont
Au vieux pont biscornu, plein de ronce et de mousse
Couché sur le ruisseau limpide et peu profond
Que brouillèrent les pas de mon enfance douce

From the song Le vieux pont

by Mes Auieux

Pont des Capucins over the Cuisance River in Arbois, Jura (France)

A tannery was for rent in the vicinity, at the very entrance to the town of Arbois, near the bridge built over the Cuisance, a river which has its source a league away.

Excerpt from La vie de Pasteur

René Vallery-Radot

Bridge over the Tauber River near Reicholzheim, Baden-Wurttenberg (Germany)

 Recently, I stood by the bridge
in a brown night.
From the distance came singing:
golden drops trickled
over the trembling surface.
Gondolas, lights, music—
it floated drunkenly out into the twilight...

My soul, a stringed instrument,
invisibly touched,
secretly sang a gondola song,
trembling with colorful bliss.
– Was anyone listening?...

Friedrich Nietzsche

Pont de Pianella over the Porto River in Ota, Corse du Sud (France)

"La Corse est un petit continent,
l'Europe est une grande île."

Jacques Dutronc

Genoese Bridge over the Asco River near Asco, Haute Corse (France)

“It was then I thought of Corsica, the place we had discovered together. I craved the wind, the sun and salt, the simplicity of the island.”

From The Book of Lost and Found

by Lucy Foley

Geumcheon Bridge in the Changdeokgung Palace of Seoul (South Korea)

Changdeokgung is an outstanding example of East Asian palace architecture and garden design, exceptional for the way in which the buildings are integrated into and harmonized with the natural setting, adapting to the topography and retaining indigenous tree cover.

Changdeokgung Palace Complex

as UNESCO World Heritage Site

Saint Benedict Bridge over the Rhone River in Avignon, Vaucluse (France)

In the 12th century, a young shepherd named Benedict of Avignonheard heard a celestial voice that asked him to build a bridge to cross the Rhône. After asking permission from the bishop of Avignon, Bénézet (Benedict) began its construction. It was completed in 1185 and constituted the first passage over the Rhône between Lyon and the Mediterranean.

Legend about this bridge

Spina Cavaddu Bridge over the Rizzanesse River in Sarténe, Corse du Sud (France)

In un scornu di lu mondu,

Ci hè un locucciu tenerezza
Ind'u mio core, maestosu,
Imbalsama di purezza
Ghjuvellu di maraviglie,
Ùn ne circate sumiglie,
Ùn truverete la para ;
Ghjè ùnica, sola è cara.
Corsica.

Lyrics from Corsica, 

song by Patrick Bruel

Raya Bridge over the Muande brook in Saint Christophe en Oisans, Isére (France)

"If it weren't for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song."

Carl Perkins

Rainbow Bridge over the Bianhe River in old Bianjing, Hunan (China) painted by Zhang Zeduan

A wall of gold has been mounted on Shu brocade.
Craftsmen from Wu collect spare change
The watchtowers of the city rise to great heights.
To pay tribute to the abundance of a myriad of families.
The bustling scene is truly impressive.
It is a chance to explore vestiges of bygone days.
At that time, people marveled at the size of Yu,
And now, we lament the fates of Hui and Qin.

Poem in the original painting.

Roman Bridge over the Passirio River in Merano, Trentino - Alto Adige (Italy)

Blüht nicht zu früh, ach blüht erst, wenn ich komme,
dann sprüht erst euer Meer und euren Schaum,
Mandeln, Forsythien, unzerspaltene Sonne –
dem Tal den Schimmer und dem Ich den Traum.

Don't bloom too early, oh bloom only when I come,

then your sea and your foam will spray first,

almonds, forsythia, undivided sun -

the valley the shimmer and the I the dream.

Lyrics from März. Brief nach Meran

by Gottfried Benn

Bridge over the Salado River in Cirauqui, Navarra (Spain)

Esta noche ha pasado Santiagosu camino de luz en el cielo.
Lo comentan los niños jugando
con el agua de un cauce sereno.

¿Dónde va el peregrino celeste
por el claro infinito sendero?
Va a la aurora que brilla en el fondo
en caballo blanco como el hielo.

Poem by Federico García Lorca

San Martí d'Aravó Bridge across the Querol River in Guils de Cerdanya, Girona (Spain)

The Malniu Lake, near Guils de Cerdanya, was a meeting for witches to invoke the devil. It is said that witches came here flying with their brooms.On the Holy Friday night one can see an image of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at the bottom of the waters of the lake.

Cerdanya legends

Old Bridge over the Nervia River in Dolceacqua, Liguria (Italy)

"… the place is superb, there is a bridge that is a jewel of lightness …”

Claude Monet,

about this bridge

Romanesque Bridge over the river Vena in Agés, Burgos (Spain)

“Entre su casa y un pueblo pequeño se hacía un paso largo, lodoso, empantanado, trabajoso para los peregrinos que iban a Santiago. Lleno de piedad y caridad, tomó por empresa servirles en esto no con manos ajenas, sino con las suyas propias: lo allanó, y enjugó de manera que quedó fácil haciéndole una calzada maciza que hoy dura.” 

About San Juan de Ortega, builder of the bridge 

by historian José Sigüenza 

Puente de San Martín (Saint Martin Bridge) over the Tagus River in Toledo (Spain)

Aunque es verdad que el acero

tiene que ser toledano,

para cantar a Toledo

se puede ser zamorano

O complutense enjundioso

y Huésped de un Sevillano,

de Benidorm, del Toboso,

judío, moro o cristiano

Pero es verdad que el acero

tiene que ser toledano.

Una espada, bien templada,

no puede ser de Granada,

ni de León, ni de Oviedo.

Tiene que ser toledana:

De Toledo.

In the poem Homenaje a Toledo

Mariano Estrada

Pont Noblia over the river Nive in Bidarray, Pyrénées Atlantiques (France)

A shepherd girl was lost a long time ago in the woods of Bidarray. After a long searching by her relatives and friends, they only found her head. From that moment, for many nights near the place the girl was lost, there were voices that said "Wait! Wait!". One of those nights, some neighbors who were walking around saw a light in a cave . Then, the group approached the cave and found a stalagmite that resembles a human torso and that related to the lost body of the shepherdess.

Legend from Bidarray