Bessières bridge

Bessières bridge
	Bessières bridge
Official name	Pont Charles-Bessières (named after Charles Bessières )
use	Pedestrians, metro and road bridges
Convicted	Pedestrians, bus and road traffic
Crossing of	Riponne / tunnel
Subjugated	Pedestrians and road traffic
place	Lausanne
overall length	160 m
width	15 m
height	23 m
start of building	1908
completion	1910
opening	1910
Architect ; chief engineer	Eugène Jost ; Édouard Chavannes
	location

46.521134 6.636494Coordinates: 46 ° 31 ′ 16 " N , 6 ° 38 ′ 11" E ; CH1903: 538448 / 152519

The Bessières Bridge ( French: Pont Bessières ) is one of the three major bridges in Lausanne . It is located in the Center district and crosses the Riponne / Tunnel district .

history

It had been planned for decades to build a bridge connecting the Cité with Rue-Caroline. A first project was put aside in 1839. It was only after the banker Charles Bessières made a donation of 500,000 Swiss francs to the city that planning for the bridge could begin. Until the end, however, another 50,000 francs were necessary, which his brother Victor donated.

In 1899 a competition was announced, which Eugène Jost won. The chief engineer of the work was Édouard Chavannes .

architecture

Jost's proposal included neo-medieval turrets to match Notre-Dame Cathedral . This variant was too expensive, so it was agreed on eleven-meter-high obelisks , which the style of Louis XVI. and matched the neighboring hospital.

Two tunnels lead the route of the Métro Lausanne on the platform, which is located under the road bridge. The total length is 120 meters. Since 2008 the bridge has also had a stop on the “m2” metro line.