| Pont du Diable | |
|---|---|
Le Pont du Diable de Céret (The Devil's bridge of Céret) |
|
| Crosses | Tech River |
| Locale | Céret, Pyrénées-Orientales, France |
| Design | stone arch bridge |
| Longest span | 45.45 metres (149.1 ft) |
| Clearance below | 22.3 metres (73 ft) |
| Construction begin | 1321 |
| Construction end | 1341 |
The Pont du Diable (English: Devil's bridge) or Pont Vieux (English: Old bridge) is a medieval stone arch bridge at Céret, France, built between 1321 and 1341. Spanning the river Tech with an imposing single arch of 45.45 m span length, the Pont du Diable featured at the time of its construction the world's largest bridge arch.
The apex of the Pont du Diable at its highest point above ground is 22.3 m. The bridge was partly modified in the 18th century.
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The locals wished a bridge to be built across the river and called the devil to build it for them. He agreed on the condition that he would claim the first soul to cross it. The bridge built, the locals sent a cat across first for the devil to claim. But then for many years no person would cross, just in case - A legend common to many devil's bridges in France.
Other very large medieval bridges