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.
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 park. The wealthy landowner, who was a nature lover, made the 200-hectare English garden 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.
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.
