Pont Notre-Dame, Paris

Pont Notre-Dame, Paris
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pont_Notre-Dame_Paris_FRA_001.JPG
Author: ignis


Pont Notre-Dame is a bridge across the River Seine in Paris. It links quai de Gesvres on the Right Bank of the Seine to quai de la Corse on the Île de la Cité

Pont Notre-Dame stands on the site of the very first bridge to cross the Seine in Paris. That bridge, the Grand-Pont was destroyed during the siege of Paris in AD 886. The next bridge to be erected there was destroyed by floods in 1406. Then came the first version of Pont Notre-Dame. It was a wooden bridge that was completed around 1419. It stood until the morning of 25 October, 1499, when it fell, due in part to lack of repairs.

Almost immediately stone foundations were laid for a new bridge which was completed in 1507. As with most bridges during that time, it was overhung with buildings on its sides. These were eventually removed by 1788 for sanitary and stability purposes.

In 1853 a new bridge was built on the existing stone foundation. Strangely, there were at least 35 water traffic accidents involving the bridge between 1891 and 1910, leading it to be nicknamed Devil's Bridge (pont du Diable). Eventually it too was replaced in 1919 with the present structure of metal, which is still standing today.

How to reach Pont Notre-Dame

Take the Métro to the Cité subway station.

List of Bridges in Paris and Bridges in France

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