The whole world knows the Pont des Arts for the many"love padlocks" that lovers come to hang from its gates (despite a ban from the town hall). The history of this legendary Parisian bridge spans more than two centuries.
Originally, the Pont des Arts (named after the Palais du Louvre, which became the Palais des Arts under the Second Empire!) was a pedestrian footbridge built between 1801 and 1804. At the time, it was the capital's first metal footbridge. Designed by engineers Louis-Alexandre de Cessart and Jacques Vincent de Lacroix Dillon, the nine-arched cast-iron footbridge resembled a hanging garden, with numerous shrubs and flowers.
After bombardments during the First and Second World Wars, the Pont des Arts was weakened and finally collapsed in 1979 when a barge collided with a pillar. Fortunately, the bridge had been closed to traffic two years earlier! The Pont des Arts was finally dismantled in 1980, before being rebuilt between 1981 and 1984 according to the original plans (with the exception of the number of arches, which was reduced to seven).
For the record, it was on this footbridge that the writer Vercors entrusted the leader of the Ceux de la Résistance movement with copies of Editions de Minuit, which the latter then delivered to General de Gaulle. The mythical Pont des Arts was the inspiration for many painters, writers and singers.
Its aura still radiates to the four corners of the globe, so don't be put off by a visit. In summer, painters, bohemian musicians, families and groups of friends gather here for picnics.
