Pont Neuf

The Pont Neuf (German: New Bridge ) is the oldest surviving bridge over the Seine in Paris. The construction began in 1578 and lasted until 1607.

Bridge data

The arch bridge is 238 m long and 20 m wide. It connects the Quai du Louvre on the Right Bank in the 1st arrondissement with the Quai de Conti and the Quai des Grands Augustins on the Left Bank in the 6th arrondissement. Approximately in the middle of it crosses the western tip of the Ile de la Cité. His right of it is continued by the Rue du Pont Neuf, the Seine left of the Rue Dauphine.

History

Mid-16th century, Paris had only four bridges Petit Pont, Pont Notre -Dame, the Pont Saint -Michel and Pont au Change. The addition of a - new - bridge that should connect the Louvre with the products of the Abbey of St. Germain -des- Prés emerged market towns, was becoming increasingly urgent because of the extensive city traffic had already caused great damage to the existing bridges, yet also were completely built up with houses.

Already in 1556, King Henry II adopted the construction of a new bridge in the eye, but his plan failed at the long resistance of the Parisian merchants. It was not until more than twenty years later, on the evening of May 31 1578 was laid by King Henry III. the foundation for the fifth Parisian bridge whose essential feature should be that no homes and businesses should be on her. They should, therefore, transcend, while at the same time can see the flowing therethrough under her Seine. This had never been seen before in Paris and met with the Parisian department team who mourned the unused retail space on the bridge, on rejection. The bridge was finally after almost thirty years of construction in the reign of King Henry IV completed. Even with only two years later finished Pont Henri IV in Chatellerault and in the finished only became 25 years later Pont Neuf in Toulouse no cultivations were admitted in spite of similar width.

In 1985, the bridge was covered by the artist couple Christo and Jeanne -Claude. The preparation phase for this project had lasted ten years what reason was that the consent of the then mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, had to be sought.

Special

Pont Neuf was the first bridge that is constantly linked the bank together and not led an offset on one of the islands road. Since there were almost no houses on it, you could see when they were crossing the Seine again and again, but there were also some little house shops above each of the piers. In a pump tower called La Samaritaine pumps were housed until 1813 to supply water to the Jardin des Tuileries, see Nicolas Raguenets paintings. Also, were on their first time in Paris on both sides separated from the driving surface walkways.

In the middle of the bridge stands an equestrian statue of Henry IV, a sculpture by François -Frédéric Lemot (1818 ) to the precursor statue of Pietro Tacca ( ​​1618), after the latter given by the widow commissioned work was destroyed in the French Revolution.

Miscellaneous

• The bridge was central backdrop of the film The Lovers on the Bridge ( 1991) by Leo Carax.
• In the U.S. feature film The Bourne Identity, the main character Jason Bourne tried to meet at the Pont Neuf with his former employer.
• On the right bank of the Seine is located at the end of the bridge, named after the former pumping tower former department store La Samaritaine.