Sobre este lugar
The Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge still standing in Toulouse, a gentle irony given that its name simply means the New Bridge. Work began in 1544, pushed forward by King Francis the First, but the wild floods of the Garonne and the unstable riverbed made construction agonizingly slow, and the bridge was not completed until 1632, with King Louis the Fourteenth coming in person to inaugurate it in 1659. It carries seven unequal arches for about 220 metres, and large round openings cut through its piers act as flood gates, letting high water pour through rather than battering the structure, which is a key reason it has survived when other bridges were swept away. Today its parapets offer the classic view of Toulouse at sunset, when the low light turns the whole city to rose and amber and earns it the nickname Ville Rose.
Datos clave
- 1544 year — Construction began in 1544 and dragged on for decades against floods and shifting ground
- 1659 year — King Louis the Fourteenth came in person to inaugurate the finished bridge in 1659
- 220 metres — The bridge stretches about 220 metres across the Garonne on seven unequal arches
📍 Pont Neuf, 31000, Toulouse