Pont Saint-Michel
The Pont Saint -Michel is a bridge in Paris. It connects the Île de la Cité with the Rive Gauche, the Left Bank.
Location
The bridge goes from the Place Saint -Michel on the left bank of the Seine and leads to the Boulevard du Palais on the Ile de la Cité. Thus it combines the 5th and 6th arrondissements, which are on the Boulevard Saint- Michel, with the 1st and 4th arrondissement, on the other hand meet at this axis. Place and Boulevard Saint -Michel were later named after her. The riverside location is described in each case with the Quai des Orfèvres or the Quai des Grands Augustins.
Downstream is the Pont Neuf, the upstream Petit Pont. On the opposite side of the island, the Pont au Change leads to the right bank.
Technical Description
The Pont Saint -Michel is an arch bridge and consists of masonry. It spans the Seine on a length of 62 m. The bridge has three arches with a single span of 17.20 m and a total of 30 meters wide. In addition to the 18 m wide road are located on both sides 6 m wide sidewalks.
History
In 1378 the construction of a bridge, it was decided that was to connect the former Palais Royal, on the Ile de la Cité and the Left Bank. The first bridge, which was equipped like all his bridges of their time with houses, was. Reign of Charles VI built. She had several names in the following years. So it was called Pont- Neuf, Pont Neuf or Pont Saint -Michel. The bridge suffered repeated sharply below the melting flood, which flowed down the Seine, and was re- built in 1408 from wood, including the houses on it. However, the building collapsed after several collisions with ships on 9 December 1547 and tore up 17 people to their deaths.
Built two years later at this point bridge lasted only until 1616. The strong ice drift of the Seine reached the bridge sharply, and she and several houses located on it were destroyed again. Then it was replaced by a stone structure with four arches, built 1618-1624. The two lateral sheets had a span of 10 m. The arc field on the downstream side was a bronze equestrian statue of Louis XIII. provided.
The Pont Saint -Michel was the last bridge in the city, on which there were houses. In 1808 they were finally demolished. The small width and the high age of the bridge brought the city council in 1855 to the decision to build the bridge again. 1857, this project was put into action. The engineers Paul Martin Gallocher de Lagalisserie and Paul Vaudrey designed the preserved to this day Pont Saint -Michel. This design included only three elliptical arches of masonry, with a span of 17.20 m in order to reduce the number of standing in His pillar.
Since the bridge during the Second Empire under Napoleon III. was built, the pillars are still adorned with the striking Napoleonic "N ", which is surrounded by a laurel wreath.
It was given its final name due to its proximity to the chapel of Saint -Michel. The Holy Archangel Michael is revered in several religions as guardians of the Garden of Eden.
On 17 October 2001, the socialist mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, dedicated a plaque on the bridge commemorates the massacre of Paris in 1961.