Pont Alexandre III

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Pont Alexandre III
Pont Alexandre III depuis pont de la Concorde Paris.jpg
The bridge seen from the Pont de la Concorde, 2012
Coordinates 48°51′49″N2°18′49″E / 48.8636°N 2.3136°E / 48.8636; 2.3136
Crosses The Seine River
Locale Paris, France
Next upstream Pont de la Concorde
Next downstream Pont des Invalides
Characteristics
Total length160 metres (520 ft) [1]
Width40 metres (130 ft) [1]
History
Opened1900;126 years ago (1900)
Location
Pont Alexandre III
Interactive map of Pont Alexandre III
Location on the Seine in Paris. Paris-Ponts-AlexandreIII.png
Location on the Seine in Paris.

The Pont Alexandre III (French pronunciation: [pɔ̃alɛksɑ̃dʁtʁwa] ) is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the city. [2] [3] It has been classified as a French monument historique since 1975. [4]

Contents

History

The Beaux-Arts style bridge, with its exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at both ends, was built between 1896 and 1900. It is named after Tsar Alexander III of Russia, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. His son Nicholas II laid the foundation stone in October 1896. The style of the bridge reflects that of the Grand Palais, to which it leads on the right bank.

The construction of the bridge is a marvel of 19th century engineering, consisting of a 6 metres (20 ft) high single span steel arch. The design, by the architects Joseph Cassien-Bernard  [ fr ] and Gaston Cousin, was constrained by the need to keep the bridge from obscuring the view of the Champs-Élysées or the Invalides.

The bridge was built by the engineers Jean Résal and Amédée Alby  [ fr ]. It was inaugurated in 1900 for the Exposition Universelle (universal exhibition) World's Fair, as were the nearby Grand Palais and Petit Palais.

Sculptures

Gilded Fames sculptures on the socle counterweights. Pont Alexandre III rive gauche.jpg
Gilded Fames sculptures on the socle counterweights.
Nymphs of the Neva relief. Nymphes de la Neva sur le Pont Alexandre III.JPG
Nymphs of the Neva relief.
Twilight view, looking toward the dome of Les Invalides Pont Alexandre III 02.jpg
Twilight view, looking toward the dome of Les Invalides

Numerous sculptors provided the sculptures that feature prominently on the bridge.

Fames

Four gilt-bronze statues of Fames watch over the bridge, supported on massive 17 metres (56 ft) masonry socles, that provide stabilizing counterweight for the arch, without interfering with monumental views. The socles are crowned by Fames restraining Pegasus.

Nymphs

The nymph reliefs are at the centres of the arches over the Seine, memorials to the Franco-Russian Alliance. [5] The Nymphs of the Seine has a relief of the arms of Paris, and faces the Nymphs of the Neva with the arms of Imperial Russia. They are both executed in hammered copper over forms by Georges Récipon.

In the same political spirit, the Trinity Bridge in Saint Petersburg was conceived as a memorial to the Franco-Russian Alliance.

Pink in Paris.jpg Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France.jpg

Pont-Alexandre-III-et-Invalides.jpg
Paris - Pont Alexandre III.jpg
Paris - La Seine Pont Alexandre III.jpg

Olympic Days Paris June 2017 - Diving Platform Pont Alexandre-III 04.jpg

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Alexandre III Bridge". Structurae—International Database for Civil and Structural Engineering. Wilhelm Ernst & Sohn Verlag. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Steele, Ross (2002). When in France, Do as the French Do. McGraw Hill Professional. p. 143. ISBN   978-0-8442-2552-4.
  3. ↑ Blackmore, Ruth; McConnachie, James (2004). The Rough Guide to Paris Directions. Rough Guides. p. 15. ISBN   978-1-84353-317-7.
  4. ↑ Base Mérimée : PA00088798 , Ministère français de la Culture. (in French) Pont Alexandre III
  5. ↑ "Pont Alexandre III" . Retrieved 24 June 2023.

48°51′49″N2°18′49″E / 48.86361°N 2.31361°E / 48.86361; 2.31361

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