OLD STONE BRIDGE

This bridge (Ura e vjetër e gurit, Stari kameni most) is not so old, but it is the symbol of the city. Spanning the Prizrenska Bistrica (Lumbardhi i Prizrenit) which crosses Prizren from east to west, it was built in 1982 to replace the old Ottoman "old stone bridge" (late 15th-early 16th century) which was washed away by a flood in 1979. Still made of ashlar, the current version is shorter in order to be more resistant with a 17 m long deck compared to 30 m before. However, the general appearance has been preserved with a main arch (10 m long and 5 m high), two secondary arches (4 m long and 3 m high each) and a slightly curved deck 4.20 m wide. The two asymmetrical cavities placed at the level of the piers make it possible to lighten the structure and to let water pass through in the event of a major flood. The structure connects the Shatërvan/Šadrvan district on the left bank (south) with the Saraçhana/Saračana district on the right bank (north). In this it played an important role in the development of the city by allowing the transit of merchants and their caravans. Today, Prizren has twenty bridges and footbridges. The Old Stone Bridge is thus framed, upstream, by the Arasta Bridge (Ura e Arastës, Arasta most), first built in wood in the 15th century and now a concrete road bridge, and, downstream, by the Blue Bridge (Ura e kalter, Plavi most), a modern footbridge with blue railings where "love padlocks" are hung.