Golik Bridge

The Golik bridge carries the old road across a narrow gorge on the Shkumbin in the mountains east of Elbasan, an Ottoman single-arch bridge of the eighteenth century standing unusually high above the water on rock abutments, with a steep cobbled approach on each side. The route it served, part of the old road east toward Korce and beyond, has been replaced by a modern highway that crosses elsewhere, so the bridge is now bypassed and stands alone in the gorge with no traffic, which is why it survives in the state it does. It is reached by a short walk from the roadside and is free to cross. Little else is there, and it is a stop on the drive between Elbasan and Korce rather than a destination.

What you actually see

• A single high arch over a gorge - the span on rock abutments.
• Steep cobbled approaches - the original road surface on both sides.
• A bypassed route - the bridge left alone when the highway moved.
• The Shkumbin gorge - the narrow rock cut below the arch.

When to go

April to October. One hour as a stop on the Elbasan to Korce road. Mornings and evenings for light in the gorge. There is nobody there most of the time.

Honest expectations

It is one bridge with no facilities and no interpretation. The walk down from the road is short but rough. Signposting is poor and it is easy to drive past. There is nothing else nearby.

Nearby

Librazhd is north-west; Korce lies south-east along the road.