Pont Neuf, Toulouse

The Pont Neuf, French for "New Bridge" (a.k.a. Pont de Pierre and Grand Pont),[1] is a 16th-century bridge in Toulouse, in the South of France.

For the bridge in Paris, see Pont Neuf.

Pont Neuf, Toulouse
Pont Neuf, Toulouse
Coordinates	43.599307°N 1.438724°E / 43.599307; 1.438724
Crosses	Garonne River
Locale	Toulouse
Official name	Pont de Pierre[1]
Characteristics
Design	arch bridge
Material	stone
Longest span	approximately 30 metres (98 ft)[2]
No. of spans	7[2]
History
Designer	Jacques Le Mercier (Lemercier) Pierre Souffron[2]
Construction start	1544[2]
Construction end	1632[2]

Construction

Original planning for the bridge started in 1542 by the assembly of a committee of master masons and carpenters. Construction started on the foundations in 1544;[2] the first arch was started in 1614.[1] The bridge was finished in 1632, and was inaugurated on 19 October 1659.

The bridge is not symmetrical; the longest arch is the third from the right-hand bank. The openings through the piers were originally supposed to represent the face and mane of a lion.[1] A triumphal archway added in 1686 constricted traffic and was removed in 1860.[1]

It is 220m long, and has 7 arches.

References

1. Whitney, Charles S. (2003) [1929]. Bridges of the World: Their Design and Construction. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. pp. 132–134. ISBN 0-486-42995-4.
2. Pont-Neuf at Structurae

External links

• Pont Neuf pictures
• Histoire de la construction