PONT DE FSHAJT

This modern stone bridge (Ura e Fshajtë, Švanjski most) spans the White Drin downstream of the canyon. It is not very interesting in itself, since it was built by Italian KFOR engineers in 2005: a large arch of 22 m height, a 70 m long and 7 m wide deck. But it has a few assets to offer. First of all, it offers a beautiful view of the canyon with, just next to it, the café-restaurant Ura e Shenjtë where you can easily park. Secondly, since 2014, this bridge has hosted an impressive diving competition (Kërcimet nga ura e Fshejt) on the third Sunday in July. This tradition dates back to 1950 and sees around 30 young people from the Balkans compete against each other, making a 22m jump before entering the water at over 70km/h. A dangerous sport, as the winner of the 2017 contest died the following year trying to defend his title.

Blessed Bridge or Svanes Bridge? It is also the history of the bridge that is interesting. The two previous, much more elegant versions were destroyed in 1915 and 1999. But the origin of the first structure remains unknown. The Albanian inhabitants refer to an "Ottoman bridge" built at some unknown time and surrounded by mystery. They call it the "Blessed Bridge"(ura e Fshajtë) or the "Sacred Bridge"(ura e Shenjtë), each version being accompanied by legends full of magic and women walled up alive (a great Balkan classic). The Serbs attribute the construction of the first work to their king Stefan Uroš I (1243-1276). Although this assumption may seem to be nationalistic, it is in fact quite credible. In Serbo-Croatian, the bridge is called the "Svanes Bridge"(Švanjski most). The Svans are a Georgian ethnic group from the Caucasus, some of whose members found refuge in the Balkans with the Byzantines during the Mongol invasion of the Georgian kingdom in the 1220s. It is therefore very likely that it was Svans who built the first bridge in the Middle Ages: it is known that some Serbian or Byzantine Orthodox churches in the Balkans in the 13th century were built by "Georgians", who were reputed to be good masons at the time. What is even stranger is that the Svans share many similarities with the Albanians: like them, they are mountain people, known for their polyphonic songs, their defensive towers and a strong sense of honour that results in bloody vendettas. This creates an unexpected bridge between the Caucasus and Kosovo.