I was inspire on writing about this wonderful historical bridge of my eternal Paris. The whole world comes to Paris ,and for a good reason, I have done my walks around here even at night and it is sublime ! One more reason to come to the most beautiful City in the world ! I like to tell you on this bridge thanks to finding me again a couple pictures in mycd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, here is my take on the Pont des Arts of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The Pont des Arts, aka Passerelle des Arts, is located between the Institut de France and the Louvre Museum. It is located in the 1er arrondissement on the right bank (Quai François-Mitterrand) and in the 6éme arrondissement on the left bank (Quai de Conti). Built between 1801 and 1804, it was the first iron bridge in Paris. The footbridge is reserved for pedestrians. It offers panoramic views of the Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Musée d’Orsay, the Institut de France, and the Pont Neuf. Its name comes from the Louvre Palace, which was called the “Palace of the Arts”, since it became a national museum after the French revolution. This site is served by the metro stations Louvre – Rivoli, line 1, Pont-Neuf, line 7, Mabillon line 10 and Saint-Germain-des-Prés line 4.
The structure is not intended for the passage of vehicles, it has a light structure. It measures 10 meters in width, its length is 158 meters. It has nine arches of 17 meters opening, which rest in the river on masonry piles. These are relatively high in order to respect the navigation gauge. As a result, the deck is higher than the quays, which requires the construction of a masonry staircase at each end. The structure was inaugurated on September 23, 1803. In 1852, following the widening of the Quai de Conti, the two arches on the left bank became a single arch. The bridge was subject to a toll. Thus, in the novel La Rabouilleuse by Honoré de Balzac, Philippe Bridau “had his boots polished on the Pont-Neuf for the two sous he would have paid to take the Pont des Arts to reach the Palais-Royal.” The bridge was dismantled in 1980; about half of the bridge — four arches ,was recovered by the town of Nogent-sur-Marne. The current bridge was rebuilt between 1981 and 1984. From 2008, the wire mesh railings of the Pont des Arts became the support for numerous “love padlocks” attached by couples. This situation sparked a controversy over the risks of degradation of heritage caused by the presence of these tons of padlocks; the Paris City Hall mentioned 45 tons: damage to the railings, aesthetics.etc. Thus, the wire mesh railings were definitively removed on June 1, 2015, then by glass panels from autumn 2015, One good thing by the city of Paris, credit where credit is due.
Some wonderful art to see it are portraits by Stanislas Lépine, The Pont des Arts (circa 1878-1883), oil on canvas, Bemberg Foundation in Toulouse (see post), Paul Signac, The Pont des Arts (1928), oil on canvas, Carnavalet Museum of Paris (see post), Auguste Renoir, The Pont des Arts (1867), oil on canvas, The Norton Simon Foundation in Los Angeles CA USA, Camille Pissarro, The Seine and the Louvre (1903), oil on canvas, Orsay Museum of Paris (see post). Also the popular movie of 2001 by Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie Poulain contains a scene set on the lovers’ footbridge, the Pont des Arts,
The Paris tourist office on the Pont des Arts : https://parisjetaime.com/transport/pont-des-arts-passerelle-des-arts-p3682
The City of Paris on bridges to fall in love with Paris : https://www.paris.fr/pages/a-la-decouverte-des-ponts-parisiens-les-plus-romantiques-18806
There you go folks, another dandy in my eternal Paris, once bitten, the virus of love stays with you. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Pont des Arts of Paris !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 