Three more bridges today. I guess we have now reached 11 out of 37. (I may not be able to finish this week, sorry.)Today something about the bridges crossing the Seine fairly close to the Eiffel Tower.
I have recently posted about the Passerelle Debilly.
I made a post about Pont Bir-Hakeim in September last year; just two small photos to remind you... and maybe a few words: This bridge from 1903-05, in two levels to allow the metro to pass, replaced a earlier one from 1878. It got its present name (previously Pont de Passy) from the battle at Bir-Hakeim during WW II.
Then there is the bridge, which is just in front of the Tower, the Pont de Iéna. It was constructed during the reign of Napoleon I and opened in 1814. It got (of course) the name of one of Napoleon’s victories - over the Prussians this time. Later some Prussian invaders wanted to have it desttoyed, but finally accepted just a name change. It rather soon got its original name back. You cannot see so much of the original bridge as it was completely reconstructed in 1937, becoming almost twice as wide.
Here are some pictures taken from the Eiffel Tower (see posts) a couple of weeks ago, one taken in front of the Tower and the bridge, early evening, just when the blue lights had been turned on (see post about the blue, European, Tower). ... and one from the ground, last week, under a much greyer sky.
On the top picture we have a global view of the Pont de l’Alma. The name is referring to another army victory (each country has theirs – Waterloo etc...), this time a bit later, in 1854, and it refers to a battle where the British, Turkish and French troops together fought against the Russians in the Crimean War. An original bridge from 1856, too narrow, was replaced by the present one in 1974.
The original bridge was decorated by four sculptures representing soldiers who had participated in the Alma battle. Of the four, one is still decorating the bridge (it has changed side) and represents a “zouave”, a name given to certain infantry regiments in the French army, normally serving in French North Africa 1831 – 1962, but they participated also in the Crimean war. This statue has served – and still serves – as a popular way of checking the water level in the Seine River, which can vary considerably. This is why you can find walls all along the river when it passes Paris. The footpaths and streets along the banks of the river have now and then to be closed – when the “zouave” gets wet feet. There has been considerable damage due to floods in previous centuries with a number of bridges destroyed. The latest and most important flooding took place in 1910 and you can here see what the old bridge and the “zouave” then looked like.The place on the northern – right – side of the bridge, Place de l’Alma is decorated with a copy (real size) of the flame of the Statue of Liberty (see different posts) – a gift by the International Herald Tribune to Paris in 1989 (200 years after the Revolution). Under the place is the tunnel where Princess Diana died in 1997 and this statue has become an unofficial place of pilgrimage. On my photo of the flame you can in the background see the fashionable Avenue Montaigne (fashion houses, hotels, theatres...) with the Sacré Coeur in the far horizon. Another fashionable avenue, George V, leads also to this place and just round the corner you can find one of the best seafood restaurants in Paris and also the cabaret Crazy Horse.
You can find these photos in full and in a slide show on Ipernity or on Flickr.
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