Chudni Mostove (Wonderful or Marvelous bridges) are located at in
the South of Bulgaria in the Western Rodopi mountains, one of the
few wilderness untouched by man in the country. Chudni Mostove is a
natural geological formation in the Rhodope Mountains in the
Southern Bulgaria. The closest large settlement is a small town of
Chepelare that is located 30 km away. Arch shaped formations gave
these enourmous formation its nickname Chudni Mostove or Marvelous/
Wonderful Bridges in Bulgarin.
Chudni Mostove were carved by
erosions by winds and waters of Erkyupriya River that flows
underneath the bridge. Despite its natural beauty and impressive
span Chudni Mostove are still remains largely unknown to the outside
World and rarely visited by international tourists.
A group
of three bridges of Chudni Mostove was probably part of the same
karst cave that collapsed forming several natural arches that once
were part of the cave ceiling. The Large Bridge measures at 45
meters high and 40 meters wide. The Small Bridge is 200 meters down
the river and measures 30 meters high and 60 meters long. Last
bridge is hardly visible and actually is a cave where river
Erkyupriya goes underground only to appear on the service 3 km down
its stream.
Besides the landmark of Chudni Mostove itself
long expanses of virgin forests of century old conifers, mainly
spruces, are spread in all directions. You can spend a night in a
nearby hotels “Chudni mostove” and “Skalni mostove” (tel.
048/877545) that is within hundred feet from the location and hike
on backcountry trails. According to Greek poet Homer this region is
the homeland of Orpheus, thus the area around the Chudni Mostove is
also called Orfeevski mesta (Bularian for Orpheus’ land).
There is a barbaric custom that arose after the
bridges were declared a tourist site - every tourist who passed
under the big bridge wrote his name with charcoal on the wall. On
the rock formations at the base of the big bridge, even celebrities
have left a mark on their low culture. According to the law,
scratching and placing inscriptions within the boundaries of a
natural landmark is prohibited. The fine for this violation is from
BGN 500 to BGN 5,000. Nature lovers clean the inscriptions and
impose fines, but this vandal tradition continues.
There are
many caves near the rock phenomenon, but most of them are not
suitable for visits by tourists because they are not lit and safe.
Nearby are the huts "Wonderful Bridges" and "Rock Bridges", managed
by the tourist company "Studenets" - Chepelare (possible places for
tourism and accommodation).