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All Germany Gablenz Rakotzbrücke Devil’s Bridge
AO Edited

Rakotzbrücke Devil’s Bridge

This jaw-dropping 19th-century bridge uses its reflection to form what appears to be a perfect circle.

Gablenz, Germany

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
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Rakotzbrücke   Dirk Förster/CC BY 2.0
Rakotzbrücke   Dirk Förster/CC BY 2.0
Rakotzbrücke   svolks/CC BY-SA 3.0
Rakotzbrücke   A.Landgraf/CC BY-SA 4.0
Rakotzbrücke   Henning Herrmann/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Rock outcrop   lenaye / Atlas Obscura User
Rakotzbrücke   Michael Bertulat/CC BY-ND 2.0
Rakotzbrücke   Natalie Uomini/CC BY-SA 4.0
Rakotzbrücke   René Mettke/CC BY-SA 3.0
  madball / Atlas Obscura User
Rakotzbrücke May 2021   modenamurr / Atlas Obscura User
Devil’s bridge in Germany   Corina Preda
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About

Nestled among the verdant foliage in Kromlau, Germany’s Kromlauer Park, is a delicately arched devil’s bridge known as the Rakotzbrücke, which was specifically built to create a circle when it is reflected in the waters beneath it. 

Commissioned in 1860 by the knight of the local town, the thin arch stretching over the waters of the Rakotzsee is roughly built out of varied local stone. Like many similarly precarious spans across Europe, the Rakotzbrücke is known as a “devil’s bridge,” due to the colloquialism that such bridges were so dangerous or miraculous that they must have been built by Satan. While the bridge (as with all the others) was created by mortal hands, its builders did seem to hold the aesthetics of the bridge in higher regard than its utility.

Either end of the Rakotzbrücke is decorated with thin rock spires created to look like natural basalt columns, which occur in many places in Germany. In addition, 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.

Today, the bridge can still be viewed in the park, but crossing the aging relic is prohibited in order to preserve it.

 

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Ao Loves Halloween Bridges Devils Bridge Optical Oddities Optical Illusions

Know Before You Go

The bridge is best visited during the fall when the foliage adds an element of wonder to the already surreal view. This bridge is located in Kromlauer Park in Eastern Germany and is best accessed by driving. While viewing the bridge is welcome, crossing the bridge is strictly prohibited. As of June 2018, the bridge was reported as being under renovation.

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Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

vturiserra, Mike Portanova, modenamurr, serpent...

  • vturiserra
  • Mike Portanova
  • modenamurr
  • serpent
  • chrissyrodtx
  • obiwan
  • lenaye
  • Meg
  • Corina Preda
  • CuriousJ
  • Max xaM
  • madball

Published

November 11, 2014

Updated

July 8, 2025

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Sources
  • http://unusualplaces.org/die-rakotzbruck-or-devils-bridge/
  • http://www.placestoseeinyourlifetime.com/rakotzbrucke-a-circular-optical-illusion-in-kromlau-germany-9986/
  • http://www.urbansplatter.com/devils-bridge-rakotzbrucke-germany/
Rakotzbrücke Devil’s Bridge
6 Halbendorfer Str.
Gablenz, 02953
Germany
51.536283, 14.640583
Visit Website
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