The Pont Vieux of Orthez !

Posted in France

I am again on the southwest of my belle France. The region has been criss cross by my family for many years and remains one of our favorites. Even thus, written plenty on it over the years in my blog, there is so much to see, always something missing.I like to update this older post for you and me with new text and links which deserve. Therefore, let me tell you about the Pont Vieux of Orthez ! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Pont Vieux, is in Orthez, department 64 of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The old bridge is a 13C fortified bridge.  The Pont Vieux , spanning the Gave de Pau river, it connects the city center to its suburb of Depart. It is on the vicomtale road which went from the Haderne bridge, at Sault-de-Navailles, to the Osserain bridge, and led to Roncevaux. It owes its construction to Gaston VII Moncade of Béarn, when he made Orthez the capital of Béarn and transported his court there.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

We do not know when the bridge was built in its current state with 4 masonry spans. In 1589, there was already only one tower. The upper part of the tower had disappeared. The bridge resisted two major assaults: in August 1569, the Huguenot troops of Montgomery, after the battle of Orthez precipitated priests in the Gave by an opening , the priests’ window in the downstream parapet, to the right of the key main span. In February 1814, troops of the Duke of Wellington went after the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte in retreat. On February 27, 45 soldiers of Marshal Soult’s army rearguard entrenched in the bridge tower resisted for one day the attacks of the English army during the battle of Orthez.

The Pont Vieux d’Orthez has protected the village of Orthez, located between Pau and Bayonne, at the gates of the Basque Country. No wonder it has been the emblem of the city for many centuries. With its fortified tower and arches of different sizes, it is one of the rare examples of medieval military architecture. Originally, two towers framed the main arch, while on each side were wooden passages, which could be raised in the event of attacks, to block access to the village. Today, small stone arches replace the old wooden constructions. If it could speak, the Vieux Bridge or Old Bridge would recount the bloody episodes that took place on its stones.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

it is today remarkable for its uneven arches and its fortified central tower. The tower was restored according to its original arrangements in 1873. The aliening and the roof are modern. Total length of the bridge between the two abutments: 46 meters long; width span  about 15 meters; Openings of the two adjacent arches about 7 meters and 8 meters.

The city of Orthez on the Pont Vieux : http://www.mairie-orthez.fr/Decouvrir-Orthez/Patrimoine/Pont-Vieux

The local Heart of Béarn tourist office on Orthez :https://www.coeurdebearn.com/en/heritage/24-hours-in-orthez.html

There you go folks, another nice monument of architectural and historical value I like to keep in my blog, Again, hope you enjoy the Pont Vieux of Orthez as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!

Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

2 thoughts on “The Pont Vieux of Orthez !”

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.