Pont de pierre (Bordeaux)
Pont de pierre is the name of the oldest “stone bridge” over the Garonne in Bordeaux . The planning of the bridge took place from 1810, so still under Napoleon's rule. The construction work, which was very difficult because of the strong currents, took place between 1819 and 1821. The chief engineers were Claude Deschamps and his son-in-law Jean-Baptiste Billaudel .
history
Already in the 18th century there were plans to build such a bridge. In 1808 Napoleon wanted to have a wooden bridge built here so that his army could move more quickly towards Spain. However, local officials advocated a more permanent solution from the start.
On June 26, 1810, an imperial decree issued the order to erect the wooden structure. In 1811, however, the bridge and road construction engineer Claude Deschamps came to Bordeaux and proposed a modified, more stable bridge construction. This project was realized from 1812. The difficulties, however, were enormous. A flood of the Garonne from December 22nd to 26th, 1813 caused severe damage to the foundations. In 1814, the fall of Napoleon resulted in the cessation of work for financial reasons.
The initiative to continue building came from a group of wealthy Bordeaux citizens. The wealthy entrepreneur Balguerie-Stuttenberg founded an association of ship owners and merchants in 1816, which offered to raise 2 million francs for the construction of bridges, but with the requirement to be able to collect tolls for 99 years . The government accepted this offer in 1818, but set a deadline of three years for completion. On April 18, 1818, the Compagnie du pont de Bordeaux was constituted under Balguerie-Stuttenberg, and construction took place from 1819 to 1821. Following the British model, a diving bell was used for the underwater work .
The bridge was widened around 1860 and 1952 to 1954. The bridge toll was abolished in 1863. The 17 arches of the bridge are said to correspond to the 17 letters of the name Napoléon Bonaparte . Until the construction of the Pont Saint-Jean in 1965, the Pont de Pierre was the only road bridge over the Garonne in Bordeaux. The Passerelle Eiffel , a railway bridge, dates from the 1850s.
Individual evidence
- ^ Pont de Pierre (1822) , on Structurae .
Web links
Coordinates: 44 ° 50 ′ 18 ″ N , 0 ° 33 ′ 46 ″ W.