page_title: Plaka Bridge
section_title: In operation
hierarchical_section_title: Plaka Bridge / History / In operation
caption_attribution_description: Ελληνικά: Η Ιστορική Γέφυρα της Πλάκας στα σύνορα των νομών Αρτας και Ιωαννίνων English: The historical bridge of Plaka, at the borders of Arta and Ioannina Prefectures
context_page_description: Plaka Bridge is a 19th-century stone one-arch bridge in Greece that collapsed during the floods of 1 February 2015.
  It is located at the borders of Arta and Ioannina prefectures, above the waters of Arachthos River. Administratively, it belongs to the community of Plaka-Raftaneon. With its arch of 40 metres width and 17.61 m height, it was the largest one-arch bridge in Greece and the Balkans, and the third largest one-arch stone bridge in Europe. It also had two small auxiliary arches of 6 metres width on its two sides.
  It was considered "one of the most difficult, single-arch bridges to construct."
  The bridge was the starting point for rafting and canoeing on Arachthos River.
context_section_description: On 3 February 1878, during the anti-Ottoman revolt of that year, Greek troops under the command of Konstantinos Kottikas defeated the Turkish garrison of the bridge and made them retreat.
  Between 1881 and 1912 (the First Balkan War), the bridge marked the border between the Kingdom of Greece and the Ottoman Empire, and a customs building was erected alongside it, which still survives. Also, near the bridge there was an outpost of the Greek army and an inn. The bridge used to be a trade route, connecting Tzoumerka with Epirus and Thessaly.
  During World War II, it was bombed by the Germans, and withstood the bombing with minor damage. Locals repaired it using cement in 1943. On 29 February 1944, during the Axis Occupation of Greece, the Treaty of Plaka was signed near the bridge among the armed groups of the Greek Resistance, EAM, EDES and EKKA. According to the treaty resistance  groups agreed to refrain from infringing on each others territory and that all future war efforts will be directed against the Germans. This marked the end of the "first round" of the Greek civil war which had started  at October 12, 1943.
  In spite of the two small 6 m (20 ft)-wide relief arches, the bridge's apex thickness of 1.56 m (5 ft 1 in) has been considered small by experts, causing a concentration of horizontal stresses in a region where a 15 cm (5.9 in) crack could be found.
  During heavy rains in 2007, the bridge nearly collapsed, and a restoration was considered but not taken, raising criticism by the public.
caption: Plaka Bridge being crossed by tourists
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