Kadin bridge at Nevestino village, Bulgaria
Kadin Bridge (Bride’s Bridge) is an impressive architectural monument in the centre of Nevestino. This is a Medieval 100-meter long bridge built over the river Struma and has five circle vaults, the highest of which is in the middle.
The name of the bridge “Kadin” or “of a bride” is connected to the legends concerning its building. The first legend is about three brothers from the nearby village who were building a bridge over the river Struma, but during the night the waters of the river destroyed and swept away what had already been built during the day. The brothers did not want to be mocked and made a very difficult decision to sacrifice the wife who first brought breakfast to her husband. This was for the sake of making the bridge solid. The first wife to come was Manol’s wife. The young woman carried with one hand her first baby and with the other the breakfast and had hardly managed to say “God help” when the brothers caught her and walled her in the middle vault. While they were walling her up, she asked them to leave out her breast and make a vent for her eyes so that he could breastfeed and watch her child. That is why the bridge was called “of a bride” – in Turkish “Kadun” (later “Kadin”).
Ivo Velinov, Bulgaria, Kyustendil
