site.btaApril 11, 2001: Bulgaria's Longest Rope Bridge Inaugurated

On April 11, 2001, the longest rope bridge in Bulgaria, connecting the villages of Lisitsite and Sokolsko with the area of Kardzhali and the surrounding villages, was restored. With a length of 400 m, it connects the two banks of the Studen Kladenets Dam (South Central Bulgaria). 

Here's how the events were reported in BTA English Service's In Brief column in 2001:

Sofia, April 11 (BTA) - Minister without Portfolio Alexander Pramatarski and the Mayor of Kurdzhali (South Central Bulgaria) Roumen Dimitrov have inaugurated the country's longest rope bridge.  The 400 m. facility spans the Studen Kladenets Dam, giving the 90 residents of the villages of Lisitsite and Sokolsko access to the area of Kurdzhali.

The bridge took 15 months to build. An old rope bridge, constructed on the same site in 1974, was destroyed by strong wind on December 31, 1999. Since then, people from the two villages had to be ferried across the dam lake by boat.

Construction of the new bridge cost BGN 540,000, provided by the Council of Ministers' Standing Commission on Management of Natural Disasters and Industrial Accidents.