God’s Bridge, Another Wonder of Nature
About Tismana, Baia de Aramă, Brebina, Tismana, Ponoarele
In Mehedinți County, in the commune of Ponoarele, you have the chance to discover one of nature’s wonders, namely the largest natural bridge in Romania, the second largest in Europe and the only one in the world that is open to traffic, including heavy vehicles. A truly interesting and unique place in our country.
Do you wonder how this unusual tourist attraction came into being? Through the collapse of the upper wall of a cave, dominating the whole landscape with impressive dimensions. The huge stone arch crosses Valea Pragului and is 30 metres long, 13 metres wide, 22 metres high and 9 metres thick.
Such a special place without a legend? It would somehow have lacked charm. The legend that hangs over this place refers to a biblical one. It is said that in Ponoare Cave lived the Devil, who did only harm to the people of the area. The frightened locals asked God to drive him away, so God struck the cave ceiling, which collapsed. But the Devil had enough time to slip out through the other side of the cave and, out of anger, scratched all the stones of the slope, forming two fields of lapies: Aphrodite’s Field and Cleopatra’s Field. Lapies are superb karst forms that water has etched into the limestone. They look like wrinkles on the calcareous surfaces, up to 30 cm deep.
Another beautiful legend holds that God built the bridge to help Saint Nicodemus cross over Tismana, after he had been driven away by the villagers of the place where he wanted to build a place of worship.
Near this divine place there are two other tourist attractions that must not be missed: Lake Zătonul Mare and Zătonul Mic. These are two lakes of karst origin, lying on either side of the Cave at the Bridge.
Lake Zătonul Mare covers an area of approximately 20 hectares, and the depth can even reach 20–25 metres when it is full. Indeed, at such times when it reaches that depth, it is regarded as the largest karst lake in Romania.
Do not miss a visit to Ponoarele Cave or the Bridge Cave, which is 734 metres long, and whose entrance closely resembles the shape of God’s Bridge, namely an arch.
Another cave in the area of Ponoarele is Bulba Cave, or the Great Cave. Its dimensions are impressive: it is over 1,560 metres long, with more than 4,860 galleries. Access is also a little more difficult, as it can be visited only when the waters of the Bulba dry up and allow entry past the two siphons.
Mehedinți County never ceases to surprise us with these natural beauties, more or less known to the wider public. In a previous article you will find other ideas for discovering the region:
