Spring is so tender … Advancing cleverly on the bridges under the Sun of May. Perfect time to enjoy long weekends in Paris.
Parisian bridges are true monuments, they represent a history, a past, a know-how. And from their summits, each passer-by savors the view: the Seine and its two faithful banks.
Do you know that despite its name, the Pont Neuf (New Bridge) is the oldest bridge in the Capital? Its construction dates from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 17th century. It owes its name to its particularly innovative character for the time. Indeed, unlike the others, the Pont Neuf is the first stone bridge to cross the Seine entirely, but above all, it has no housses and is provided with sidewalks, which brings comfort for pedestrians. Also, balconies in arc of circle are arranged for the craftsmen and tradesmen. This magnificent bridge, on which stands a statue of King Henry IV (under whose reign the building was completed), has been classified as a historical monument in 1889 and as a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
The Pont Alexandre-III is made of steel. It is part of the memories left by the Universal Exhibition of 1900 since it explains its existence, just like the Petit and the Grand Palais, which it connects to the Esplanade des Invalides. Its name is the symbol of the Franco-Russian friendship following the alliance signed between the two countries in 1891. The first stone was also laid by Tsar Nicholas II.
At the end of the Rue de Seine, two minutes away from Hotel de Seine, is the charming Pont des Arts. Reserved for pedestrians and loved by lovers, it joins two splendid monuments, the Institut de France and the Louvre Museum. At the origin of the building, a footbridge, the first metallic of Paris, built between 1801 and 1804, in the spirit of hanging gardens. In 1977, it was closed because too fragile after the two wars and boats collisions. In 1979, a barge caused a collapse over 60 meters and the bridge was dismantled in 1980 to be built again identically between 1981 and 1984.
Of course many other bridges deserve to be told and this will come in an upcoming article … Meanwhile, rendezvous in May at Hotel de Seine!
