Pont des Arts

The Pont des Arts or Passerelle des Arts is a pedestrian bridge in Paris which crosses the Seine River. It links the Institut de France and the central square (cour carrée) of the palais du Louvre, (which had been termed the "Palais des Arts" under the First Empire).

History

Between 1802 and 1804, a nine-arch metallic bridge for pedestrians was constructed at the location of the present day Pont des Arts: this was the first metal bridge in Paris. This innovation was due to Napoléon I, following a design of English manufacture. The engineers Louis-Alexandre de Cessart and Jacques Dillon initially conceived of a bridge which would resemble a suspended garden, with trees, banks of flowers, and benches.

In 1976, the Inspector of Bridges and Causeways (Ponts et Chaussées) reported several deficiencies on the bridge. More specifically, he noted the damage that had been caused by two aerial bombardments sustained during World War I and World War II and the harm done from the multiple collisions caused by boats. The bridge would be closed to circulation in 1977 and, in 1979, suffered a 60 meter collapse after a barge rammed into it.

The present bridge was built between 1981 and 1984 "identically" according to the plans of Louis Arretche, who had decided to reduce the number of arches from nine to seven, allowing the look of the old bridge to be preserved while realigning the new structure with the Pont Neuf. On 27 June 1984, the newly reconstructed bridge was inaugurated by Jacques Chirac – then the mayor of Paris.

The bridge has sometimes served as a place for art exhibitions, and is today a studio en plein air for painters, artists and photographers who are drawn to its unique point of view. The Pont des Arts is also frequently a spot for picnics during the summer.

The argentinian writer, Julio Cortázar, talk about this bridge in his book "Rayuela". When Horacio Oliveira goes with the pythia and this tells him that the bridge for La Maga is the "Ponts des Arts". This is a great allusion of Cortázar for one of his greatest novels, even one of the best novels ever written.

Access

___
located near the metro station: Louvre - Rivoli.

Film and television appearances

Due to its recognizable nature, the bridge has been featured in numerous films and television shows:

  • Le Pont des Arts is a French film directed by Eugène Green, with Natacha Régnier and Denis Podalydès. The film is a love story which tells the impossible tale of two youths who have never before met. The action unrolls in Paris between 1979 and 1980, in other words it occurs during the collapsing of the bridge. The film was presented in 2004 at the 57th Locarno International Film Festival.
  • It is featured in the last episode of Sex and the City.

Quotation

.]] Art historian Kenneth Clark is credited with writing about the Ponts des Arts in his book Civilisation:

"I am standing on the Pont des Arts in Paris. On the one side of the Seine is the harmonious, reasonable facade of the Institute of France, built as a college in about 1670. On the other bank is the Louvre, built continuously from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century: classical architecture at its most splendid and assured. Just visible upstream is the Cathedral of Notre Dame --not perhaps the most lovable of cathedrals, but the most rigorously intellectual façade in the whole of Gothic art. [...] What is civilisation? I do not know. I can't define it in abstract terms --yet. But I think I can recognise it when I see it: and I am looking at it now."

Kenneth Clark, Civilisation (1969).

Songs

Georges Brassens in the song Le Vent (The Wind) from the album Les Amoureux des bancs publics (Lovers on Public Benches) published in 1954 evokes the strong wind which blows across the bridge :

Si, par hasard, (If by accident,) Sur l'pont des Arts, (On the Pont des Arts,) Tu croises le vent, le vent fripon, (You meet the wind, the mischievous wind,) Prudence, prends garde à ton jupon ! (Prudence, guard your petticoat !) Si, par hasard (If by accident,) Sur l'pont des Arts (On the Pont des Arts,) Tu croises le vent, le vent maraud (You meet the wind, the marauding wind,) Prudent, prends garde à ton chapeau ! (Prudent, guard your hat !)

St. Germain (musician) released a song called 'Pont Des Arts' in 2002

External links

Coordinates:

Location

Bridge location on the Seine:

Listed in the following categories:
Post a comment
Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
Kate Davis
26 November 2015
The Pont des Arts - Once known as the "Bridge of Love" to place love-locks on has since had their panelling replaced to stop the extra weight, now replaced with local street-artists' work.
Rafaela Souza Silva
7 August 2014
If you really have to put a padlock on the bridge, at least don't throw the key on the river. Some panels have fallen from the weight of the the padlocks and he keys are harmful for the river.
Joanna Pouponneau
15 December 2014
I love the idea of a romantic gesture.Of announcing a love to the world,symbols of our desire to believe in the happily ever after.Love is worth celebrating but in a way that does not pollute too.
Jeremy Wilcox
5 June 2015
Heads up to tourists... Paris officials have begun cracking down on "love locks" on the bridge (as they are damaging it), and are removing them. A tradition has come to a fair end.
Murat
11 June 2016
Maybe the most romantic bridge in the city. Sitting with your partner on the wooden bridge with some wine and cheese, and listening street music performancers is awesome!
Tribegram.com
6 January 2012
This bridge has been featured in every single pictures, videos or movies about Paris. These days you can bring a lock and attach it. Awesome pictures of locks, couples and the Seine river.
Load more comments
foursquare.com

Hotels nearby

See all hotels See all
Magnificent Studio Heart of Paris

starting $87

Melia Paris Notre-Dame

starting $678

Hotel Les Rives de Notre Dame

starting $606

Hotel Le Notre Dame

starting $299

Hotel Henri IV Rive Gauche

starting $249

Hotel Esmeralda

starting $99

Recommended sights nearby

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Louvre

The Musée du Louvre (Шаблон:IPA-fr), or officially Grand Louvre — in E

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Mona Lisa | La Gioconda (Mona Lisa | La Joconde)

Mona Lisa | La Gioconda (Mona Lisa | La Joconde) is a tourist

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois

The Church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois is situated at 2, Place du

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Louvre Pyramid

The Louvre Pyramid is a large glass and metal pyramid, surrounded by

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Pont Neuf

The Pont Neuf (French for 'New Bridge') is the oldest standing bridge

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Palais du Louvre

The Palais du Louvre in Paris, on the Right Bank of the Seine is a

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
École des Beaux-Arts

École des Beaux-Arts (French pronunciation: ], School of Fine Arts) r

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Place Dauphine

The Place Dauphine is a public square located near the western end of

Similar tourist attractions

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Galata Bridge

The Galata Bridge (in Turkish Galata Köprüsü) is a bridge that sp

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
碓氷第三橋梁 (めがね橋)

碓氷第三橋梁 (めがね橋) is a tourist attraction, one of the Bridges in Sakamoto

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Rama IX Bridge

Rama IX Bridge is a bridge in Bangkok, Thailand over the Chao Phraya

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Suramadu Bridge

The Suramadu Bridge (Indonesian: Jembatan Suramadu), also known as the

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Dom Luís I Bridge

The Dom Luís I (or Luiz I) Bridge (português. Ponte Luís I or Luiz I)

See all similar places