Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Kolyo Ficheto's bridge in Byala has been restored

Photo: BTA

After years of decay, one of the iconic bridges built by the master craftsman Kolyo Ficheto is ready to welcome tourists again. Its official reopening will take place on August 23.

The Byala Bridge was built over the Yantra River in 1865-1867 on the orders of Midhat Pasha, vali of the Danube Vilayet. Its construction was necessitated by the new road crossing the Yantra River at the town of Byala that connected Ruse, the main town of the Danube Vilayet, with Tsargrad, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.


Polish engineer Lyudmil Rola who was serving under Mithat Pasha requested 3 million groschen in order to build the bridge, whereas Kolyo Ficheto, the most famous master-builder from the Bulgarian Revival Period, agreed to construct it in exchange of 700,000 groschen.


The bridge has now fully regained its authentic appearance. The famous sculptures of a nymph, griffin, lion and swan have been restored. Right next to it is an innovative exhibition centre where visitors can learn about the life of the famous native master craftsman Kolyo Ficheto. Do not miss the second floor, which offers an exceptional view of the bridge and the Yantra River.

Photos: BTA


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Levski's notebook is a whole universe revealing many faces of the Apostle of Freedom

Vasil Levski is a Bulgarian revolutionary and national hero who fought for the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. He is an ideologist, founder and organizer of the Internal Revolutionary Organization, for which grateful..

published on 2/18/25 10:20 AM

The Bulgarian church of Saint Ivan Rilski will open in London on February 22

Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil will celebrate the first liturgy in London for the consecration of the new church of the Bulgarian Orthodox community in the British capital - the church of Saint Ivan Rilski. T he church is part of the Bulgarian Embassy..

published on 2/17/25 11:21 AM

The Church of St. Haralambos in Bulgaria's Shabla keeps the faith of generations alive

Every year on February 10, the feast of St. Haralambos   , Bishop of Magnesia, is celebrated with special solemnity in a small Bulgarian town in the northernmost part of the country's Black Sea coast . For Shabla and its residents, this is the..

published on 2/10/25 6:05 AM