| Kromlau Azalea and Rhododendron Park | |
| Alt Name: | Azaleen- und Rhododendronpark Kromlau Acalejowy a Rododendronowy Park Kromola |
| Location: | Saxony (Lusatia) |
| Nearest Town: | Weißwasser (Běła Woda) |
| Designated: | landscape park |
| Established: | 1842 |
| Website: | https://www.rakotzbruecke.de |
The Kromlau Azalea and Rhododendron Park (German: Azaleen- und Rhododendronpark Kromlau; Upper Sorbian: Acalejowy a Rododendronowy Park Kromola) is an 80ha landscaped park in the village of Kromlau (Upper Sorbian: Kromola), in the municipality of Gablenz (Jabłońc) in the region of Lusatia (Upper Lusatia), in the very east of the German state of Saxony, close to the border with Poland. It was created in the nineteenth century,[1] reportedly on the grounds of a former feudal estate, by Friedrich Herrmann Rötschke.[2] Following World War II, the park was nationalized by the government, and has no admission fee (though there is a nominal parking fee). The park is an example of an English landscape garden, and it contains many small ponds and lakes. Its most well-known element is the Rakotz Bridge, a bridge especially built to create a circle when it is reflected in the water beneath it.
The Rakotz Bridge (German: Rakotzbrücke; Upper Sorbian: Rakocec Móst), also known as Devil's Bridge (German: Teufelsbrücke; Upper Sorbian: Djabołski Móst) is 7.8 metres long, 6.5 metres wide and spans Rakotz Lake. The name of the bridge and the lake derive from the Upper Sorbian expression for crab (rak). The radius of the inner arch is 2.2 metres, and the outer radius is 3.4 metres long. The abutments measure 3.6 metres and the side weights measure 2.0 meters[3] The bridge features artificially-formed basalt columns selected and shipped from distant quarries. It was commissioned in 1860 "by the knight of the local town",[4] Friedrich Herrmann Rötschke (1805-1893).[5]
The bridge was renovated in 2018 and 2019,[4] though it remains forbidden to cross the bridge, for the safety of the public[5] and the bridge.[4]