If medieval legends are to be believed, a gravity-defying bridge like this could only come from a deal with the devil. Devil’s bridges exist all over Europe, with nearly 50 in France alone. Most of these bridges were built between 1000 and 1600 CE and were modern marvels of their construction. While Rakotzbrücke may be one of the finest examples of a Devil’s bridge, it’s not the only one.
The legend behind the devil’s bridge
According to some, the legends behind these bridges developed separately all over Europe. In most cases, the bridge builder and the devil are adversaries – the builder makes a deal that the devil will build the bridge in exchange for the soul of the first living being to cross the bridge. Usually, the builder finds a way to outsmart the devil by luring an animal across to spare a human life.
The legend of Rakotzbrücke ends differently – upon the bridge’s completion, the builder himself walked across the bridge and gave his own life in return. After all those years of getting tricked, I’ll bet the devil was happy that one of these deals finally paid off! ?
Kromlau has got to be one of the most remote places I’ve ever heard of. The highway goes straight through the town’s main street, which is so tiny you could probably hold your breath the entire way through. Your cell phone signal will likely get significantly poorer as you approach – until the fateful “No Service” indicator takes up residence on the screen. Yep, you have made it to the countryside!
The park was commissioned by a knight named Friedrich Herrmann Rötschke (1805-1893), who was inspired by the nearby Bad Muskau (now a Unesco World Heritage Site). Both are modeled after English landscape gardens.
In 1889 the estate was acquired by another knight, who commissioned a horticulturist a few years later, who was responsible for adding azaleas and rhododendron to the park. When you come to the park today, you’ll also see cypress, magnolias, and catalpas – not to mention countless varieties of mushrooms growing up from between the Autumn leaves.
After World War II, Kromlauer Park was nationalized and became free to visit (you have to pay for parking), and as a result, it’s always open. The official website for Kromlauer Park mentions the opportunity of camping, as well as riding horses through the park (as a result: watch where you step ?)
Now that we have captured your attention with the beauty of this place, here is some more info on the place:
https://mapcarta.com/18113250/Directions
Rakotzbrücke – the Devil’s bridge
So many things make Rakotzbrücke a prominent example of a “devil’s bridge.” The most obvious is the reflection in the water – of course, bridges often cross water, but this is the only one I’ve seen where the bridge is so narrow that it forms a perfect circle when the water is still.
According to a chronicler, the bridge cost “fifty thousand dollars and a human life.”
With that cost, it should be worth it for your bucket list to check out, maybe near “October-Fest.” – PROST!
A small disclaimer: It is not permitted to cross the bridge. There are signs informing you that it could be life-threatening – though, of course, the real reason is probably to keep maintenance costs down, not that the bridge’s structure is not sound (though, to be fair, the bridge is approaching 250 years old).
How to get there
As I mentioned before, Kromlauer Park is free to visit, and you only have to pay for parking: 2€ for two hours, and 1€ for each hour after up to a maximum of 6€ for the whole day. The trickiest part of the entire thing can be getting here, especially if you want to do it exclusively by public transit.
Reach Kromlauer park by car
With a data plan and Google maps by your side, reaching Kromlauer Park is pretty simple. From Berlin, you take the Autobahn in the direction of Dresden, and when you start to see signs for Cottbus, take those instead. You’ll then see signs for Bad Muskau, which you can follow directly into the park (this road bisects the park). You should see a parking area. Just be warned that in some resources, the park is listed as part of Gablenz, but there’s more than one instance of Gablenz on Google maps.
Reach Kromlauer park by public transit
I haven’t taken it myself, but the key seems to be taking a train to Cottbus from anywhere else (most often Dresden or Berlin). About 2km from the Cottbus central station is the Waldeisenbahn, a steam railway line. If you ride this train, you have the opportunity to see the Muskau wetlands (which also hold a UNESCO title). You have to check timetables on the Waldeisenbahn website, as the train does not run year-round.
In short: most reports are that with public transit, coming to Kromlauer Park is a full-day event, whereas, by car, you can do it in half a day.
If I weren’t living in Berlin, I’d say that a visit to Kromlauer Park can be easily built-in into a day trip from either Berlin or Dresden. You’ll spend a lot more time using public transit to get here, so it’s more feasible as part of a short trip to Germany, provided you can rent a car. My car rental was about 80€ booked the same day, including insurance, not including gas.
When to go
I am so heavily biased, so I have to say: Autumn! If these photos aren’t enough to convince you, I don’t know what will. To give you an idea, these photos were taken at the very end of October, which I think is a perfect time to visit – the trees are at maximum color, and fall foliage blankets the ground in yellow and orange. It’s like a sea of leaves (several inches thick in some areas).
The only downside to Autumn is that you miss the Rhododendra and Azaelaas, which are some of the park’s prime attractions. For those, Spring is a better bet. Your very best option is probably to come back in all seasons – there are even some fantastic views of the devil’s bridge in the dead of winter.
I’ve also visited in Summer, which is beautiful but not quite as pretty as the Autumn photos. I’m hoping to visit in Spring this year.
So if you want to get creative with photography, pictures, travel, and have a Creative Mind – Please visit our sponsor for this post – Creative Market!
