Paris1972-Versailles2003

Oh yes a memorable passage for many years and had more on the metro station than on the bridge until now. It is always great uplifting mode to do places where in addtion to visits had worked nearby on my partners’s office ; great memories of my travels and family visits. Therefore, let me tell you about the Pont Bir-Hakeim of Paris, part I !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The Pont Bir-Hakeim bridge, formerly the Passy viaduct, on two levels, with a length of 247 meters and a width of 25 meters, was built between 1903 and 1905. The bridge connects the Quai Branly and the Quai de Grenelle on the left bank to avenue du Président Kennedy on the right bank after crossing the northern tip of Île aux Cygnes.

The Bir-Hakeim bridge, has two floors, one for automobile traffic, the other for metro traffic. The lower level has two 6 meters wide road lanes, separated by an 8.70 meters promenade as well as two 2 meters wide sidewalks. The upper level is reserved for the passage of metro line No. 6 Nation-Charles-de-Gaulle-Étoile. In 1949, it was renamed Pont Bir-Hakeim in memory of a French victory over the Nazis, won in Libya. Previously there was a metal pedestrian bridge at this location, the Passy footbridge, built for the Universal Exhibition in 1878. It is located upstream of the Rouelle bridge and downstream of the Iéna bridge. The Pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge, bears a plaque in memory of the battle: in Bir-Hakeim from May 27 to June 11, 1942 ;the First brigade of the Free French Forces pushes the furious assaults of two enemy divisions and tells the world that France has never stopped fighting.

A monumental portico, on Île aux Cygne island, separates the Bir-Hakeim bridge into two parts. It is decorated with sculptures by Jules Coutan , allegorical bas-reliefs upstream representing Science and Work as well as Jean-Antoine Injalabert  representing  Electricity and Commerce, downstream. Two cast iron groups sculpted by Gustave Michel adorn the masonry piers: the blacksmiths riveurs and the Nautes. The Île aux Cignes is 850 meters long and 11 meters wide, is a strip of artificial land built in 1827 in the middle of the Seine river, between the 15éme and 16éme arrondissements/districts. Along its entire length and on both sides, the island is bordered by an avenue of trees, called Allée des Cygnes. The island supports three bridges, which connect the left bank to the right bank of Paris including the Bir Hakeim bridge.

There is the Monument La France Renaissante located at the northern tip of Île aux Cygnes in the center of the Bir Hakeim Bridge was executed in 1930 by the Danish sculptor Holger Wenderkinch and offered by the Danish colony of Paris, The Promenade d’Italie extends over the left bank between the Quai Branly and the Seine, it begins at the height of the Pont d’Iéna near the Eiffel Tower. to end at the Bir-Hakeim bridge. Near this last bridge stands a monument to the memory of Diego Brosset and the Free French Forces and further north a bust of Count de la Pérouse.

The Pont Bir-Hakeim bridge, due to its location but especially thanks to its architecture, has become the darling of tourists and artists. We find it hard to count the many times it has appeared in films ; from Last Tango in Paris in 1972 (my blog’s name see/read) to the famous Inception in 2010 and in video clips from the American singer Janet Jackson to the Japanese Ayumi Hamasaki. All that is missing is a palme d’or (Cannes film festival award) for the recognition to be complete !!!

The Paris tourist office on the Pont Bir-Hakeim: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/transport/pont-de-bir-hakeim-p1880

The City of Paris on the pont Bir Hakeim : https://www.paris.fr/pages/le-pont-bir-hakeim-retrouve-une-seconde-jeunesse-cet-ete-8169

There you go folks, a dandy must see and in a great spot near the Eiffel tower ,a magical corner of eternal Paris. It brings back many memories each time see visit love it, Again, hope you have enjoy the post on the pont Bir-Hakeim, part I !!! as I.

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