The Reflection of This 19th Century Bridge Makes It Into a Perfect Stone Circle, Regardless of Where You View It From

Also called the Devil’s Bridge, Rakotzbrücke in Germany looks like something from a fairy tale. The bridge and its reflection make up a perfect stone circle, regardless where you view it from.

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Image source: Rough Guides

The name “Devil’s Bridge” is due to the fact that in 1860, when it was built, such structures were regarded so dangerous or miraculous that they must have been built by Satan.

Of course, the Rakotzbrücke was not built by the devil, but by a certain Rötschke, after he acquired ownership of the Kromlau Azalea and Rhododendron Park in Gablenz, Germany. The wealthy landowner, who was a nature lover, turned the 80-hectare (200-acre) English garden into a fairytale with the help of a landscape architect he hired. Emphasizing aesthetics instead of utility, both ends of the bridge have thin rock spires installed, to give the illusion of natural basalt columns, which commonly occur in many parts of Germany. And yes, you can definitely cross it.

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Image credit: cнαт-ɴoιr^^annette

Well, in theory. Nowadays you can still view the bridge in the park, but crossing the aging relic is prohibited in order to preserve it. What a shame.

The curvature of the bridge is designed to be one half of a perfect circle, so that when the waters are still and the light is right, it creates the illusion of a complete stone circle. From any direction, actually.

This means that, despite the crossing restrictions, you can still take perfect photos there, so the place is definitely worth a visit.

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Image credit: daniel_g_photo

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    Written by Tamás Varga
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    A sociologist and English major by degree, I've worked in the area of civil society & human rights and have been blogging in the fields of travel, nature & science for over 20 years.

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