Note from the editor: While not an American in Paris, guest writer and photographer Tayeb Bouzid lives in the French capital and is part of the Paris Greeters, which offers free tours of Paris in English and other languages. After he spent his youth in Algeria and 15 years in the Marseille area, he came to Paris in June 1988 for a 3-month-long job and is still here after 36 years. Passionate about photography, architecture, and Paris, here, Tayeb provides his expertise on one of the more fascinating parts of the City of Light: the bridges that cross the Seine, connecting two sides of the city to form one. Enjoy. — MS
Paris would not be Paris without its bridges, and there are 336! That many? Yes! But only 37 of them are along the Seine. The others are for pedestrians, trains, the métro, or to connect other streets.
Below we’ll look at some of those 37 spread over the 8 or so miles of the Parisian Seine. They’re real links between its banks, inhabitants, and historical monuments. Enjoy this non-exhaustive guide to Paris and its bridges, from the longest to the most graceful, the most revolutionary to the most futuristic. You may discover an anecdote or an unusual detail you’ve never seen before.
The Most Sumptuous
Decorated with candelabra, street lamps, and copper and bronze sculptures, the Alexander III bridge majestically straddles the Seine between the 7th and 8th arrondissements.
Born during the 1900 World’s Fair, at the time it also represented the new Franco-Russian alliance. On October 7, 1896, Tsar Nicholas II laid the first stone in the presence of the President of the Republic, Félix Faure. Boxed by monumental pylons ornamented at the top of a pegasus of gilded bronze, the metalwork draws a royal road to the Grand and Petit Palais.
Classified as a historical monument, it’s often seen in films of famous directors (Michel Audiard, Woody Allen, and Luc Besson, to name a few).
The Most Filmed
The Bir-Hakeim Bridge is also in great demand for commercials, television series, and films.
Jutting out from both sides of the Île aux Cygnes, this metallic structure, designed shortly after the World’s Fair of 1900, connects the 15th and 16 arrondissements. It’s made up of two floors — the upper one is for the metro, and underneath is designated for cars, pedestrians, and bicycles.
The Most Famous
Its name may be misleading, but the Pont-Neuf, or “new bridge,” in the 6th arrondissement is actually the oldest in Paris.
Also classified as a historical monument, it’s famous for its medieval design that looks almost like a castle. On May 31, 1578, Henry III laid the first stone, finally connecting the two shores of the Seine. The first bridge in Paris made of stone and not wood, Pont-Neuf also once supported homes and other dwellings, as was customary at the time. Paris was already overcrowded, so they needed all the space they could find.
Pont-Neuf is also the first bridge to be decorated with turrets. Its 384 macarons adorn its cornices, and an equestrian statue of Henri IV can be found in the center of the bridge.
The Most Graceful
Reserved for so-called “soft” transport (such as pedestrians and bicycles), the Simone de Beauvoir bridge is the 37th bridge in Paris. Completed by the Austrian architect Dietmar Feichtinger and inaugurated in 2006, its graceful steel and wooden structure uses the most advanced construction techniques. Composed of two curves that intersect, it connects the François-Mitterrand library in the 13th arrondissement to Bercy Park in the 12th.
The Most Revolutionary
The Pont de la Concorde was built between 1787 and 1791 in the middle of the French Revolution. Even more revolutionary, it was built with some of the stones of the old Bastille prison that was destroyed during the insurrection of July 14, 1789.
It allowed Parisians to walk over a symbol of the fallen royalty, as they crossed the Seine from the Place de la Concorde (formally named for Louis XV) to the National Assembly. Another interesting particularity: unlike the other bridges in Paris, it does not have ring moorings so as not to bring to mind the poor prisons who were chained to the wall of the Bastille.
The Most Futuristic
Designed and built between 1993 and 1996 by architects Arretche and Karasinsky, the Charles de Gaulle Bridge is the most recent road bridge in Paris. With an elegant appearance of a white steel aircraft wing, it fits perfectly in the modern district of Bercy and the Bibliothèque nationale.
The Most Poetic
The Mirabeau Bridge was immortalized by Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918) in his famous poem “The Mirabeau Bridge” published in 1913.
“Under the bridge Mirabeau flows the Seine (Sous le pont Mirabeau, coule la Seine)
And our loves (et nos amours)
Should he ask me? (Faut-il qu’il m’en souvienne ?)
Joy always came after sorrow… (La joie venait toujours après la peine…)”
Another bridge classified as a historical monument, the Mirabeau was built by engineers Jean Résal, Rabel, and Alby at the very end of the 19th century to connect the André-Citroen quai on the left bank to the Louis-Blériot quai on the right bank.
The beautiful metallic masterpiece offers wonderful views of the City of Light. It’s adorned with four bronze sculptures made by the sculptor Jean-Antoine Injalbert, representing the City of Paris, Commerce, Navigation, and Abundance.
The Longest
Spanning a little over 1,025 feet, the Aval Bridge is strictly for cars and is part of the highway that circles Paris, also known as the Boulevard périphérique. Inaugurated in 1968, it’s the longest bridge in Paris (the shortest being the Petit-Pont-Cardinal Lustiger, close to 105 feet long).
Located between the 15th and 16th arrondissements, it doesn’t have an official name. Many do refer to it as the Pont aval (downstream bridge) as I do here, as it is the last downstream bridge you can take to cross the Seine and circle the west of the capital.
The Most Beautiful Metro Viaduct
Finally, the Austerlitz Viaduct is a railway bridge used by line 5 of the metro, connecting the Austerlitz and Quai de la Rapée stations. It’s a curved artwork in and of itself, measuring 246 feet wide and 360 feet long.
Construction took place between 1903 and 1904 and at the time, it was the longest Parisian bridge. Its design was entrusted to Jean Camille Formigé, who also designed parts of the métro. It features various marine-focused symbols, like fish, oars, anchors, and tridents, and the arms of Paris can also be seen at the bottom of the arches. It was listed as a historical monument on June 12, 1986.
Photo of the Bir-Hakeim Bridge taken by Tayeb.
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