Authentic Roman bridge Kufarita
Updated: May 20, 2022
Kufarita Bridge near the village of Dushantsi is an architectural and historical monument from the time of Ottoman slavery, built on the foundations of an authentic bridge from the Roman era.
The village of Dushantsi is a real jewel, hidden between the proud and old Balkan and Sashtinska Sredna Gora.
One of the landmarks of the village is the Kufarita Bridge.
How to get to here?
Between Pirdop and Dushantsi flows the Elenska River, which in its lower part is called Gramatnik, and from here, during and after the Liberation, the border between the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia passed.
Let's summarize - until 1885 the town of Pirdop was in the Principality of Bulgaria, and the village of Dushantsi, which is located less than 8 kilometers from the town of Pirdop - in Eastern Rumelia.
In 1885 this injustice was corrected and both settlements, of the same municipality, are again part of Bulgaria.
Until then, the village has a predominantly Turkish population, living then in the lower part of Dushantsi.
After the Union, the Turkish population left the village very quickly.
At that time the road to Constantinople passed through one of the symbols of Dushantsi - the old Roman bridge, which I present to you today.
Legend has it that it was there at the base of the old bridge that some of the wealthier fleeing Turkish families buried their property, as well as in places along the ancient Roman road.
That is why later in the 70s and 80s of the last century the bridge was severely damaged by treasure hunters.
In 2010 the old Roman Bridge was completely restored and today it is in more than beautiful condition.
The bridge is a single-vaulted road structure that connects the two banks of the river Kufarita (Kofarita in some sources) along the route of the old Roman road leading from Serdica (today's Sofia) to Philippopolis (today's Plovdiv) and Augusta Trayana (today's Stara Zagora).
And now let's go through it together!
I wish you an exceptional and impressive walk!