I’m balancing on a narrow strip of concrete high in the air, the wind dancing with my open jacket. Far bellow me, the river races past, carrying tiny islands of ice in its current. How did I find myself in this precarious situation, tottering across the high backbone of Tartu’s Arched Bridge? A couple of beers, a bit of history and a fascination with student rituals, that’s how…
Tartu’s bridges carry as much history as they do foot traffic. They have been burnt down, blown up, sung upon, and in one rather newsworthy case, had lewd public acts of procreation performed on them. Two of the most significant ones don’t even span water. You’ll find them at the top of Tartu’s Toome Hill.


The current Devil’s Bridge (Kuradisild) - a rather ugly concrete arch - was constructed in 1913 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty (whose rule over Estonia would last just another four years). It replaced two earlier structures, one erected in 1808 and a second in 1841. The name is borrowed from the bridge’s construction supervisor, a German by the lengthy name of Werner Maximillian Friedrich Zoege von Manteuffel. Roughly translated, his last name sounds something like “man-devil”.
But the bridge loaded with the most controversy is Arched Bridge (Kaarsild), the pedestrian walkway that spans the Emajõgi river from the Town Hall Square to Atlantis nightclub. It was atop this iconic structure that I found myself that windy night in the middle of winter, following in the footsteps of countless university students who had gone before me.

The controversy surrounding the Arched Bridge concerns not just what goes on above it, but also what lies below it.

Please note that we here at Tartu In Your Pocket neither condone nor suggest that you walk over, or perform any sort of public displays of affection on top of the Arched Bridge. You do so at your own risk ...but you have to admit, it could be fun.
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