Pont des Invalides - Invalides Bridge
The lowest bridge crossing the
Seine in Paris is the Pont des
Invalides or The Invalides Bridge.
The bridge’s history dates back to
1821 when an engineer by the names
of Claude Navier designed a
bridge without supports
traversing the Seine. During this
time, such a structure was
considered a revolutionary feat of
engineering.
The construction of Navier’s
suspension bridge began in 1824 at
the site opposite the Hotel des
Invalides, which is currently the
location of the Pont Alecandre III.
However, precarious cracks began
appearing in some areas of the
bridge, so the project was abandoned
before it was put into service
The Public Services had to transfer
the bridge up the river because of
complaints from those who
where defending the Invalides
perspective. In 1829, engineers
Bayard de la Vingtrie and de Verges
completed the suspension bridge. Two
piers and three 20 meter high
porticos supported the bridge.
The bridge was demolished and
replaced in 1854 for Paris’ 1855
World Fair. Jules Savarin and
Paul-Martin Gallocher de
Lagalisserie added a central pier to
the existing piers to build an arch
bridge. The Land Victory by Victor
Vilain adorns the new pier upriver
while the Maritime Victory by
Georges Diebolt can be found
downriver. |
