Kadin bridge in the village of Nevestino

Overview

Kadin Bridge is a stone bridge over the river Struma, in the village of Nevestino, Kyustendil region. Also known as the Bride's Bridge. The bridge is located in the center of the village of Nevestino. It is about 100 meters long and about 5 meters wide. It consists of five arches, the middle one being the highest and setting the pointed shape of the bridge, built of large carved granite blocks. In each of the columns is left a window for water drainage at high water. It is covered with large granite slabs. The masonry railings are made of the same stone. Its architecture is a mixture of ancient medieval and renaissance forms. On the eastern parapet on the south side of the bridge is a granite slab with a carved inscription in Arabic, from which it is understood that the construction was ordered by the Grand Vizier Isaac Pasha in 874 from Egira, ie. in 1470, during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II. A few years earlier, the shepherd had passed through these places on his way to Bosnia. The name "Kadin Bridge" comes from the Turkish "Kadan Cuprasi" or "Bride's Bridge" and is associated with the legends of its construction. According to one, the construction of the bridge was not going well, because everything that the masters lifted during the day was carried away by the stormy waters of the Struma at night. Therefore, the masters decided that one of their wives would have to sacrifice for its successful completion; to be the first to bring them food in the morning. Struma the bride, the wife of Master Manol (Manuel), came first and for that she was walled up in the foundations of the bridge. Hence the bridge is called "Bride" - in Turkish "Kadan". According to the second legend, the bridge was built by order of Sultan Murad as a wedding gift to a brave Bulgarian bride. When he went on a military campaign, the sultan met wedding guests at this place. They were not afraid of the sultan's troops, and the bride bowed to the sultan. When he asked her what gift she wanted, she wanted a bridge over the river. The bridge was built and named "Nevestin" or "Kaden" (later modified in Kadin). According to a third legend, the bridge was built at the insistence of a local Turkish judge - a Turkish "kadiya", and from there received its name "Kadin" bridge. Kadin Bridge is considered one of the most remarkable monuments of construction in Bulgaria from this period and in 1968 was declared an architectural monument of culture.