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The Pont Neuf: A Crossroad of Paris
by Zoie Clift
If you find yourself looking for a bit of a
shortcut to the Latin Quarter, the historical Pont-Neuf offers a nice
walking option for which to do so. The 238 meter
long structure is the oldest bridge in Paris. Its
name can now be seen as somewhat of a paradox as when translated,
it means 'new bridge'.
The bridge spans the Seine River
and joins the left and right banks and the Ile de la Cite, the
largest of the two islands in the center of the city.
Before its construction, there were only
four other bridges across the river, which were not in the best
condition. With the passage of time, it became a priority to build a
new bridge which would change the city forever as was the only bridge
at the time to offer a view of the Paris not blocked by houses,
as they were not allowed to be built on site, an unusual practice for
the time.
The Pont-Neuf,which is also the longest
bridge in Paris, was opened in 1607 by King Henri IV
though the first stone of the structure was initially laid by
Henri III, almost 30 years earlier. Plans had been interrupted along
the way by the “League of Troubles”.
Besides opening the Pont-Neuf, Henri IV
also bridged another rift for his people by granting religious freedom
to the Protestants when he passed the Edict of Nantes. Born a
Protestant himself, Henri IV had to convert to Catholicism before he
could become King of France. He made sure however that religious
freedom would be granted to Protestants during his reign.
The king had a bit of a reputation as a
lady’s man as well, and after he divorced Queen Margot, he
married Marie de Medicis, who was present when the bridge opened.
As for the bridge itself, which is 20
meters wide, it is glorious to look at with 384 intricate sculpted
carved masks lining the cornices of the structure. It was designed by a
team of five architects, and is divided into two sections, one with
five brick semi-circular arches and the other, seven.
The two sides are connected by a divider
where a statue of Henri IV mounted on horse now stands. The divider
was formed by conjoining two islands, the Ile aux Juifs (Jews Island) and the Ile du Patriarche.
The statue was originally built in 1614 but had to be replaced 200
years later — like most of the royal statues — after it was
broken and molted down to make cannons during the French Revolution.
A few years after the statue was built,
Henri IV also built a hydraulic water pump above the second arch which
supplied the Louvre and surrounding neighborhoods with water. The pump
was called the “Samaritan pump”, and on its surface there was a bas-relief of the meeting of Christ and the Good Samaritan at Jacob’s well.
Above the pump stood a clock and bell tower. Also interesting to note
is that the bridge was the first location in the city to sport
sidewalks for pedestrians to use.
Besides being used as a main pedestrian
route, the bridge has also seen time as a work of art as part of a
project led by Bulgarian artist Christo in the mid 1980's. Christo used
about 40,000 square meters of silky sandstone colored fabric to cover
the entire bridge for a month, thus creating a temporary work of art
named Pont Neuf Wrapped.
Reconstruction projects have occurred over
the years but overall, Pont Neuf has proved very durable,
surviving every flood that has come it's way in its 400+ year
history.
The bridge is located at: Quai de la Megisserie, Quai des Grands Augustins, 75006 Paris.
Zoie Clift is a talented contributor
Copyright (c) 2007 - www.paris-hotel-by-district.com CH. All rights reserved.
 Read one of Zoie's features on Saint-Germain des Prés
Read Zoie's feature on the Opera Garnier
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