The Bridge of Lies ( ro, Podul Minciunilor, german: Lügenbrücke) is a legendary

pedestrian bridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

located in the center of the

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

n city of

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

in central

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. There are many

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

s surrounding the bridge because of its name. It is the first

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

bridge built in Romania. Located in the Lesser Square of Sibiu, the bridge crosses Strada Ocnei to connect the Lesser Square to the Huet Square.

Legends

The Bridge of Lies has many legends surrounding it because of its name. The most popular one has it that the bridge will collapse when someone tells a lie while standing on it. Another legend says that the bridge was often crossed by merchants who were trying to fool their clients. The ones who were caught were tossed off the bridge. According to another legend, the bridge was a meeting place for boys attending the military academy and their girlfriends. The boys wouldn't show up, leaving their girlfriends wait until realizing they have been lied to. One legend also has it that the bridge was often crossed by young lovers who swore each other eternal love. The girls also swore that they were virgin, which often turned out to be a lie after the couples got married. As a punishment, they were thrown off the bridge, since it was the place where they had lied to their lovers. Despite all the legends, its name has a different origin. The bridge was initially called ''Liegenbrücke'',

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

for ''lying bridge'' (lying as in "to lie down"), which sounds very similar to ''Lügenbrücke'', meaning "bridge of lies". The legends have helped the latter spread among the city's people, which is how the bridge came to get its current name.

Design and architecture

The bridge is sustained by four

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

es made of

. They are decorated with

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

motives. On the southernmost arch stands the coat of arms of Sibiu, while on the northernmost one stand the inscriptions ''1859'' and ''Friedrichshütte'' respectively, the latter being the name of the foundry that delivered a part of the bridge's components. The rails are made out of eight panels with circular shapes and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

decorations.

Gallery

Pod metalic - Podul Minciunilor.jpg, The bridge as seen from Strada Ocnei Sibiu Podul Minciunilor (3).JPG,

decoration on the arches. The Council Tower is in the background Podul Minciunilor, Sibiu - panoramio.jpg, At night Detaliu.jpg, Coat of arms of Sibiu Podul Minciunilor - panoramio (1).jpg, northernmost arch

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Sibiu Historic monuments in Sibiu County Bridges completed in 1860 Bridges in Romania

Legends

Design and architecture

Gallery

See also

References