Devil's Tower
A local legend.
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The Pont Valentré is a fortified 14th-century stone bridge across the river Lot on the west side of Cahors in southwest France, about 1 km from the centre, and has become the symbol of the city. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. The decision to build it was taken on 30 April 1306, work began on 17 June 1308 and lasted until 1378, and it opened to traffic in 1350. The architect Paul Gout restored it between 1867 and 1879. Local legend says the foreman made a pact with the Devil to finish the work, then tricked him, so the Devil sent a demon each night to loosen a stone in the central tower, now called the Devil's Tower. The bridge rests on six pointed Gothic arches and carries three tall square towers with pyramid roofs and crenellated parapets; it was once fortified at both ends. Its arches and towers are mirrored in the calm river, framed by green banks and wooded hills. The bridge is for pedestrians only. Visitors walk across, stroll both banks to photograph it from different angles, and look for the little carved devil on the central tower. It is close to central Cahors, so it pairs easily with a walk through the old town.
A local legend.
Six spans.
On the Lot.
West of central Cahors, over the Lot, France
Yes, on foot only.
He loosens a stone in the central tower each night.