Bridge of Lies
Listen at the stop, then read the transcript and follow the sources behind the story.
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Transcript
The cast-iron Bridge of Lies dates from 1859 and crosses a passage in the Small Square.
Its Romanian name, Podul Minciunilor, is surrounded by stories. Legend: one popular version says the bridge creaks or collapses if someone tells a lie while standing on it. Other stories involve dishonest merchants or romantic promises. Sibiu’s official tourism material presents these explicitly as legends.
The probable history of the name is more prosaic and connected to wordplay and oral usage; there is no structural mechanism for detecting dishonesty.
That makes the bridge a good final stop. A historically multicultural city accumulates stories in multiple languages, and later generations select the ones that sound inevitable.
You may test the legend if you like. Please do not test the load-bearing capacity.