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The Old Mes Bridge in Shkoder, Albania

The Mes Bridge is a bridge in the village of Mes which lies about 5 kilometers north-east of Shkodër, in northwestern Albania. It is a monument of Postribs culture which is now a tourist attraction site with a lot of visitors from all around the world. I got here via a rental bike in Shkoder and took the easy route straight to the bridge.

For visitors the structure of the bridge is intriguing with round slick stones and stone plates. The surrounding panorama provides the bridge a picturesque view. The Albanian Development Fund spent 13 million lekë to develop it so the tourists could step on the bridge.

It was built in the 18th century, around 1770, by Kara Mahmud Bushati, the local Ottoman pasha, and crosses the Kir River. During its development, it was divided into two phases where the first phase was only the middle arc and the arc near it and the next phase included another 11 arches.

The purpose was to join the city of Shkodër with the town of Drisht and other cities of the northern side. It had been constructed as part of the street which goes up the Kir Valley, eventually to Pristina.

Now the bridge is in danger of destruction, having been damaged over time by catastrophic floods, which have led to floodwaters cutting off at the arches on the right side which caused cracking. It is being also overrun with trash clutter and the local mayor's office is not doing anything to repair or even stop the litter drop in the area. Urgent repair work is necessary to preserve this historic monument.

Have you been to Albania?