About God's Bridge Ponoarele
At the border between Gorj and Mehedinti there is the karst complex Zaton - Bulba, known for its sights, a place full of story.
At Ponoarele, in Mehedinti county, you can find God's Bridge, a unique karst form in Romania, the second largest natural bridge in Europe and the only one in the world open to the traffic. It lies in the center near the town hall, it’s a huge stone arch over which the road Baia de Arama-Drobeta Turnu Severin passes. It was formed by the collapse of the upper wall of the cave. It’s 30m long, 22m high and 9 m wide.
The bridge can be admired in all its grandeur in Crovul Cave, where the opening reveals Valea Pragului and the layered structure made of overlapping limestone blocks being the subject to erosion and time.
Seen from Valea Turcului, the bridge sets itself as a huge hardened arc from where you can see Dealul Pesterii and the blue sky under its canopy.
Locals have preserved many legends about the creation of the bridge, which explains the name of God's Bridge or Bridge of Giants: „God took pity the on the people of Ponoarele who could not pass Valea Pragului and drove the Devil who was housed in the cave of the bridge. God hit the cave ceiling with his palm and it crashed over the caves’ mouth, forming the bridge ".