Golik Bridge
Fshati: Golik, Njësia Administrative: Proptisht, Bashkia: Pogradec
This is the most remarkable bridge in the Pogradec district. It lies about 40 km from the town, spanning the Shkumbin river. It was built on the line of the old Via Egnatia, a branch of which started precisely from Golik and followed the upper course of the Shkumbin, linking the Mokra area (Lower and Upper Mokra) with the Domosdova plain on one side and the Korça plain on the other. The bridge dates from the 17th century and consists of two semicircular arches with a relief opening, also semicircular, between them. On the pier between the two arches, on the upstream side, there is a cutwater (a water-breaker, typical of most bridges with two or more arches in Albania). The bridge is 17 m long, 3 m wide and 10 m high. It is built of dressed stone, with large, well-worked blocks chosen especially for the bridge's footings. This choice was made not merely for appearance but to make the structure stronger and more durable.
Monument record
- Ownership
- State-owned
- Current use
- Bridge used by local residents and cultural site
- Original use
- Bridge for local residents and travellers
- Dating
- 17th century AD
- Declared a monument
- Ministry of Education and Culture, Decision no. 1886, dated 10/06/1973
- Monument category
- I – First
- Current condition
- The bridge is in relatively good condition. Damage to one of its sides has been repaired, and the bridge is still in use, allowing local residents to cross from one bank of the Shkumbin to the other.
- Distance from Pogradec city centre
- 40 km to the north-west.
How to get there
At present the road from Pogradec to the village of Golik is in very good condition, while from the turn-off towards Mokra (in Golik) to the vicinity of the bridge it is in poor condition. From the main road down to the bridge, it is advisable to walk, as cars cannot go any further.
What it offers
- Cultural Monument
