The Devil's Bridge, Škofja Loka

Very unique wooden bridge with an interesting "history" it has with the devil and frogs.

Lovely bridge and water sound. Quick stroll from city center.

Nice view here!

Good views of the city, a pleasant stop in Kranj.

The wooden footbridge with a shrine, named after the ancient appearances of the devil, connects the settlement of Puštal with Škofja Loka. With its surroundings, the Devil's Bridge, under which the Poljane Sora river froths, is one of the most picturesque locations in Škofja Loka. From the bridge there is a great view of the Church of the Holy Cross on Hribec, which dates from the 18th century. A path leads up to the church with the 12 Stations of the Cross. This is the story about the bridge and how it got it's name: The inhabitants of Puštal anf Škofja Loka know to tell that the wooden footbridge across the Sora river got its name after ancient visitations of devil at this place. When the locals built shrines on both sides of the bridge, they drove him away for some time, but then again he started visitations in the middle of the bridge. They finally managed to drive him away under the Šturm rock by building a shrine dedicated St. John Nepomuk, the patron of bridges, in the middle of the footbridge. Nevertheless, the devil had teased with the inhabitants of Puštal even before setting up the footbridge across the Sora river. The inhabitants of Puštal were good comb makers and they sold combs at fairs also to the inhabitants of Škofja Loka. As there was no bridge across the Poljanščica river at old times, they took combs to the Loka's fair by boat. There was a devil hidden in the Šturm rock by the Poljanščica river and he overturned the boat of the inhabitants of Puštal so that the comb makers were frequently wet, and the bags with combs ended at the bottom of the river. Because the inhabitants of Puštal had enough of the devil's chaff, they decided to build a bridge across the river; however, they only had enough money to make a wooden footbridge. The engry devil revenged by breeding frogs in all Puštal puddles which with their croaking did not allow the inhabitants of Puštal to sleep. The inventive inhabitants of Puštal started hunting frogs. But the more they hunted them the more there were as the devil whistled to them all nights. Yet, when he was not tending frogs, he was, seducing the mayor's daughter. When the mayor found out, who the mysterious wooer was, he decide to put an end to it and together with the men from Puštal he filled up the cave on Krancelj and thus caught the devil, who could only come out under the Šturm rock, if he had bathed in the Sora river before that. This made the devil so angry that one night in his burning anger he threw a giant rock on the Puštals's footbridge to destroy it. However, the footbridge, although a wooden one, remained complete, but it is still bent today and this is the origin of its second name-Bent footbridge. The devil under the Šturm rock is long gone, but frogs in Puštal puddles are still there, and if you listen very carefully, you can certainly hear their croaking.