Extremely low water levels in the Danube River have exposed parts of the foundations of the ancient bridge of Constantine the Great, giving Bulgarian archaeologists a rare opportunity to study one of antiquity’s most impressive engineering achievements. The remains emerged near the village of Gigen in northern Bulgaria, where the ancient city of Ulpia Oescus once stood.
“For archaeologists, these are extremely valuable opportunities because nature briefly reveals an object that usually remains hidden beneath the waters of the Danube,” said Pavel Popov of the Regional Historical Museum in Pleven. “We are given the rare opportunity to observe it, document it and study it in its actual environment,” he added.
Еха!
На 4.08. екип на Регионален исторически музей – Плевен документира културните останки (базите) на Константиновия мост при античната столица Улпия Ескус (с. Гиген).
Мостът е най-дългото мостово съоръжение през р. Дунав, открит на 5 юли 328 г. от император Константин I. pic.twitter.com/SulQykXWp2— Venelin Molnar (@VenelinMolnar) August 6, 2026
Bridge linked ancient Bulgaria and Romania
Constantine the Great ordered the construction of the stone bridge, which opened in 328 AD. It connected Ulpia Oescus with Sucidava, an ancient settlement in present-day Romania.
Stretching more than two kilometers, it ranks among the largest bridges built in antiquity and stands as a major example of late Roman engineering. Despite its scale, the bridge remained in use for only a few decades. Historians believe it was destroyed around 367 AD.
Drones map Constantine the Great’s ancient bridge in the Danube
Last Tuesday, a team from the Regional Historical Museum in Pleven carried out aerial photography and documentation of the visible foundations.
Researchers used drones to map and photograph the remains and assess their condition. The survey provides archaeologists with valuable new material for studying the bridge’s construction and preservation.
Satellite images show sandbanks exposed along the Danube River as record-low water levels disrupt nuclear and hydropower production in Hungary and Serbia https://t.co/MHeivtsRRK pic.twitter.com/RFCz0erkJ5
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 5, 2026
Heat waves and drought lower European rivers
The discovery comes amid successive heat waves that have caused severe drought across several parts of Europe this summer. Prolonged dry conditions have affected major waterways, including the Danube and Rhine rivers.
The unusually low Danube has now brought part of Constantine the Great’s ancient bridge back into view more than 1,600 years after its construction.
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