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The
First Bridges: The Small Bridge and the Large Bridge These were two wooden bridges built continuant
to the other... |
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The
Oldest Bridge in Paris: The Pont Neuf, "King" of Parisian
Bridges
It was originally
called the Bridge of Tear. |
The
Alma Bridge
Napoleon III
ordered the construction of this bridge in 1854
... |
The
Alexander The Third Bridge
Built for the Universal Exposition of 1900, its
first stone was laid in October 1896... |
The
Grenelle Bridge
It is on a
piece of land situated at the lower end... |
Stroll
along the banks
of the Seine
... |
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 onjour! Let's take a stroll through central Paris. We will follow the Seine River as it winds it way through the capital city for more than 14 kilometers, and remember some of the most distinctive of the 33 bridges that cross it.
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The Seine
From the beginning, the Seine has played
an essential role in the development of the city. As noted in
our previous newsletter, the first inhabitants chose the "Ile
de la Cite" because the Seine, twice as wide as it is today,
provided a natural barrier against barbaric invasions. Through
the centuries, fishermen, swimmers, and wash maidens have
shared this water -- more or less clean -- that was an
integral part of their daily lives. It is by boat that
Parisians obtained their wine, wheat, sea salt, wood and hay.
The Parisian coat of arms, represented by a vessel with a
silver sail floating along the water, indicates the commercial
importance that this river had to the development of the city.
Today, the Seine divides Paris into two very distinct areas:
the Right Bank on the North and the Left Bank on the South.
Each has a mosaic of neighborhoods, very different, yet
special in their own right. Distances are calculated departing
from the Seine; as well house numbers beginning with lowest
for those nearest the river, and increasing, as they are more
distant form.
The Bridges of Paris
If today a bridge is simply a path to
cross from one side of the river to the other, it was not
always so. Actually, during many centuries, the bridges
provided the workshop from which hydraulic energy was derived,
necessary for the functioning of the watermills and various
machinery. They were also arms of the city where people built
homes and businesses, held celebrations and conducted
commerce…For more than 1000 years, however, Paris only had 4
bridges! They were quite unstable and were often destroyed by
the rising River, or by the weight of the houses built upon
them.
Trivia
Do you know where the expression "monkey
money" comes from? It is directly tied to the "Small Bridge".
It was a toll bridge, and the only people able to cross it for
free were the street performers, and only if they succeeded in
making their performing monkeys make funny faces! |
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| The First
Bridges: The Small Bridge and the Large Bridge (Ile de
la Cite) |
These were
two wooden bridges built continuant to the other, when
Paris was still called Lutece. These bridges were closed
by gates and towers, and provided a rather strong
fortress. The Vikings, during the IX century, were
unable to break through despite a naval armada of 700
ships. It was in 866, when a sudden flood occurred, that
the Large Bridge was destroyed, which allowed the
Vikings to invade the city. Through the centuries these
bridges were continuously destroyed by floods, and
endlessly rebuilt -- unfortunately without taking into
account the laws of physics -- in particular those
dealing with the weight of its occupants. But the
splendor of the Middle Ages allowed the bridges to play
an important role. The large, " rue Saint Denis", was
the path taken by the kings when entering the capital
city before coming upon the Large Bridge. It was also
used for foreign dignitaries visiting the city, during
noble weddings, funeral marches, and victorious returns
from wars.
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| The Oldest Bridge in Paris: The Pont
Neuf; "King" of Parisian bridges. |
It was originally called the Bridge of
Tears, because as the story is told, when Henry the
Third came to lay the first stone on May 31st, 1578, he
was crying. Apparently, the previous night, two of his
"minions" had killed each other in a duel. The king died
before the end of the bridge's construction, and it is
Henry the Fourth who ordered the bridge finished in
1598. During its many years of construction, the bridge
was one enormous, wooden scaffold made of inter-crossed
planks, and it was dangerous to cross. It quickly became
a refuge for thieves, who would rob the passersby before
throwing them into the water. The bridge was finally
finished in 1607 with the financial help of the
Burgundy, Champagne, Normandy and Picardy regions, (this
was prior to the country being called France), who
wished to facilitate the commercial boating industry. It
is in fact the first bridge to be entirely designated
for traffic, and on which construction of housing was
not allowed. From the Fronde to the Revolution, the
"Pont Neuf" was the sight of many scuffles and daily
Parisian violence. A meeting point for thieves,
prostitutes and charlatans, they would share this
infamous terrain for many centuries. In 1792, during the
French Revolution, the original statue of Henry the
Fourth was dismantled and melted to make canons. In
fact, it is Louis Eighteenth, in 1817, who inaugurated
the statue we admire
today.
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 The Alma Bridge |
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Napoleon III ordered the
construction of this bridge in 1854 to celebrate the
victory of France and England over the Russians in
Crimea. Originally constructed entirely of stone, this
bridge was part of the grand building endeavors of Baron
Hausmann with the objective of uniting the new
neighborhoods on the two banks of the Seine River.
Destroyed due to its narrowness, this bridge was
entirely rebuilt in metal between 1970 and 1974. The
Zouave statue guarding the bridge's entry, is the only
statue remaining of four representing soldiers from the
Crimean war, and is actually used, unofficially, to
measure the height of the river. If his gators are wet,
we need to watch his pants! But nothing to worry
about…in 1910, the situation was much more critical when
only his head could be seen. In fact, a flood had
transformed Paris into a lakeside city, which has now
been avoided due to the construction of modern buildings
on its downhill flanks. Close to the Alma Bridge one can
admire the exact replica of the flame of the Statue of
Liberty of New York City. This flame was offered by the
International Herald Tribune in 1987 to celebrate the
centennial of the statue, and mark Franco-American
friendship. This is also the place where, still today,
passersby come to place floral bouquets in memory of
Princess Diana, who died in a terrible car accident in
the Alma tunnel in August 1997. |
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| The Alexander the
Third Bridge |
| Built for the Universal
Exposition of 1900, its first stone was laid in October
1896 in the presence of Nicholas the Second, Tsar of
Russia. It is probably the most beautiful bridge of all
Paris, and certainly the most decorated: gigantic
candelabras are surrounded by cupids, nautical monsters,
cherubs, lions and winged horses at each extremity.
Hammered copper nymphs represent the Nymphs of the Seine
with the Paris coat of arms on the uphill side and on
the downhill side the Nymphs of the Neva holding the
Russian coat of arms. This classified historical
monument is truly a masterpiece of the decorative art
and exuberant architecture so prominent during the Third
Republic. It is, in fact, the first structure
"prefabricated", as the individual pieces were forged in
factories then brought by boat and mounted with enormous
cranes that covered the entire width of the Seine. It
constituted a technical promise since it is one single
arch that travels the entire width of the Seine, and has
been substantially lowered so as not to obstruct the
view of the magnificent Champs-Elysees on one side and
Les Invalids on the other. It is a wonderful success
that pleases both the passerby and the aesthete. |
| The
"Samaritaine" |
| While strolling on the Pont
Neuf take advantage of the proximity of the wonderful
and famous department store: La Samaritaine. It is so
named in recognition of a pump, which was situated at
the level of the Pont Neuf that supplied water to the
Louvre and the Tuileries, and its statue, which
represented the biblical anecdote of the Samaritan
giving a drink to Christ. After a few reasonable
purchases, do not hesitate to ascend to the top floor
where there is a restaurant with the most wonderful
views of Paris and its bridges. |
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| The Grenelle
Bridge |
 |
Situated totally downstream, with the
National Radio station building nearby, is the Grenelle
Bridge. When it was built in 1827, it was a toll bridge
constructed entirely of wood. It soon showed signs of
weaknesses, and despite many repairs, it crumbled in
1873 after an increase in circulation due to a parade
organized in honor of the visit of the Shah of Persia.
It was therefore decided to rebuild this bridge entirely
in cast iron in 1874. The particularity of this bridge
is that it is symmetrically separated by a piece of land
called "Swan Ally" where a roundabout was installed to
accommodate a bronze statue -- the exact replica of the
Statue of Liberty of New York, --but a quarter of its
size. This statue was offered to the French community by
the Americans to commemorate the centennial of the
French Revolution, and was inaugurated on November 15th,
1889. When it was installed it faced the Eiffel Tower so
as not to turn its back on the Elysee Palace. But,
Bartholdi, its creator, was disappointed that it did not
face the New York statue, so in 1837, at the World Fair,
it was rotated to face towards America. |
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| Stroll along
the banks |
| A visit to Paris would not be complete
without a stroll along the banks of the Seine. What a
pleasure to leisurely walk along the "quais",
discovering old books on the shelves of secondhand
booksellers, admiring artists' works as they try to
capture the twilight, and enjoying the spectacle of
Paris' monuments and bridges. Another means of visiting
this open-air museum is to embark on the "bateau
mouche", taken at the level of the Alma Bridge, or on
other boats available from the Pont Neuf or the Iena
Bridge, at Notre-Dame Cathedral or near the Eiffel
Tower. |
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