The bridge of Plaka was a sight to behold. It was the largest one-arch bridge in the Balkans and the third largest in Europe. The central arch was 40 meters wide and facilitated the communication and trade across the Arachthos river. It was not an easy project to complete. The first two attempts (1860 and 1863) ended in failure. In 1866 the Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz ordered that the bridge be finally built. The substantial cost (180,000 piastre) was covered by the local communities and wealthy individuals such as the banker Ioannis Loulis, who donated 38,000 piastre towards the project. The village of Melissourgoi gave 96,000 piastre and Pramanta contributed 32,000 piastre.