The Witch Bridge

We arrived next at a fortified border town whose primary export was souvenirs and books on the subject of pain, and cured meats.

Built into the tops of the cliffs that formed the west bank of the river, the town has been designed to be intimidating to invaders. Arriving from the east means taking the narrow road cut into the cliffs on the opposite side of the river then crossing what they've decided to cal 'The Witch Bridge'.

A skeleton of brick and stone archways supports the Bridge. Trapdoors enable the town’s dead and dying enemies or criminals to be hung in the archways beneath the bridge. I imagine that in it's day, the bridge was probably difficult to cross due to the smell alone.

The main gate of the town is now a museum of lethal defences. It is far from the only museum of the macabre - the citadel at the centre of the town has made an exhibition of it's dungeons and devices, the old town barracks contain a fascinating display of weaponry crafted for either violence or display depending on the nature of the town and it's patriarch at the time.

The gruesome history of the town and its many skirmishes, ghosts and demonic rulers is further narrated by both street and brick theatre specialising in the horrific, and freelance by storytellers and tour guides during the summer months. On arrival, we discovered that during the colder months the stories can be had for free merely by sitting in one of the towns public houses and looking easy to intimidate. The local beer is very good.

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