Positioned in the hum of the Gothic Quarter, on the narrow street of Carrer del Bisbe, you will stumble upon this striking Neo-Gothic bridge, called Pont Del Bisbe. The ornate structure decorated with arched windows, gothic columns and intricate stone tracery was originally used to connect Casa dels Canonges to Palau de la Generalitat, allowing Catalonian presidents easy passage between the two buildings.

On first glance you would think that the bridge dates back to medieval times but interestingly it was only constructed in 1928 by the architect Joan Rubió i Bellver, who was the official architect of the province of Barcelona in the 1920’s.

Originally a pupil of Gaudí’s, Rubió i Bellver was also involved with projects such as La Sagrada Família and Casa Batlló. Similar to Gaudi, Rubió i Bellver was greatly influenced by medieval gothic design and in the lead up to Barcelona’s International Exposition in 1929, he drew up plans to knock down many of the modern buildings in the Gothic Quarter and to replace them in the Neo-Gothic style. Unfortunately for Rubió i Bellver, the Barcelona City Council didn’t agree with his vision and rejected his plans to construct any other buildings in Barrio Gotic.

This infuriated the architect and to spite the council he added the eerie skull and dagger motif, which can be seen on the underneath of the bridge and is said to curse anyone who gazes upon it. Other myths include the warning that if the dagger is ever removed from the skull the city of Barcelona will fall, however, if you walk backwards whilst staring at the skull it will grant you one wish. Urban legends aside, it’s a great little oddity to look out for when visiting!