White Bridge ( ) or Bridge of love ( ), is a bridge in
Vranje
Vranje ( sr-Cyrl, Врање, ) is a city in Southern Serbia and the administrative center of the Pčinja District. The municipality of Vranje has a population of 83,524 and its urban area has 60,485 inhabitants.
Vranje is the economical, polit ...
, over the
Vranje river
Vranje ( sr-Cyrl, Врање, ) is a city in Southern Serbia and the administrative center of the Pčinja District. The municipality of Vranje has a population of 83,524 and its urban area has 60,485 inhabitants.
Vranje is the economical, polit ...
, in southeastern
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. It is in the old quarters of the city, in the
Devet Jugovića Street.
It was constructed with white stone and dates from 1844, during the Ottoman administration, and is one of the main symbols of Vranje. The bridge is also featured on the city coat of arms.
History
Legend holds that the bridge was built in memory of the unhappy love between Aisha, a
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
(Muslim) girl, and Stojan, a Serbian (Christian) shepherd. The daughter of Selim Pasha, an Ottoman governor in Vranje, Aisha fell in love with Stojan, and one day, when they met by the river (deemed ''
haram
''Haram'' (; ar, حَرَام, , ) is an Arabic term meaning 'Forbidden'. This may refer to either something sacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowle ...
''), Selim saw them. Selim then tried to kill Stojan but accidentally killed his own daughter while she protected Stojan with her body. Stojan then took his own life.
There is a marble plaque on the bridge which reads:
Due to its deteriorating condition, general reconstruction occurred in 2006.
Rekonstruisan Beli most u Vranju
See also
*Tourism in Serbia
Tourism in Serbia is officially recognized as a primary area for economic and social growth. The hotel and catering sector accounted for approximately 2.2% of GDP in 2015. Tourism in Serbia employs some 75,000 people, about 3% of the country's wo ...
*Prohor Pčinjski Monastery
The Monastery of Venerable Prohor of Pčinja ( sr, Манастир Преподобног Прохора Пчињског, Manastir Prepodobnog Prohora Pčinjskog), commonly known as Prohor Pčinjski ( sr, Прохор Пчињски, Prohor Pči ...
*Vranjska Banja
The City municipality of Vranjska Banja ( sr-cyrl, Градска општина Врањска Бања, Gradska opština Vranjska Banja) is a town and one of two city municipalities which constitute the City of Vranje. It is also one of the spa ...
References
Sources
*
External links
Sights of Vranje, on Vranje Tourist Organization Web site
CRNI DANI ZA BELI MOST
{{Authority control
Vranje
Ottoman bridges in Serbia
Bridges in Serbia
19th-century establishments in Serbia
Buildings and structures completed in 1844