Bridge of Plaka

 pedestrian bridge, listed building / architectural heritage, 1860s construction, stone bridge

The bridge of Plaka at River Arachthos is the widest stone-made bridge of Greece (and probably of Balkans) with a 40-meters-wide arch and approximately 20 meters high. The bridge was built and collapsed twice, in 1860 and 1863 (in 1863 fell down on the day of the inauguration). Eventually was rebuilt in 1866 with master builder Kostas Bekas and it remains until today. During the the Second World War the bridge was bombed by the Germans near its center (3nd photo), but it withstood the bombing and the damage was repaired. Between 1881 and 1912, when Arachthos River was the border between Greece and Turkey, in a short distance from the bridge, there was an outpost of the Greek army, an inn and a customs, which survived until today.
The bridge collapsed on 1 February 2015 because of the heavy rainfall.