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The Pont Marie () is a
the Pont Marie's entry on the Paris Mairie's website
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
which crosses the Seine
The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
in Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
The bridge links the ÃŽle Saint-Louis
Île Saint-Louis (), in size, is one of two natural islands in the Seine river, in Paris, France (the other natural island is the Île de la Cité, where Notre-Dame de Paris is located). Île Saint-Louis is connected to the rest of Paris by fo ...
to the quai de l'Hôtel de Ville and is one of three bridges designed to allow traffic flow between the Île Saint-Louis and the Left
Left may refer to:
Music
* ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006
* ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016
* ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023
* "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996
Direction
* Left (direction), the relativ ...
and Right
Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...
banks of Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. The Pont Marie links the Right Bank and is the counterpart of the Pont de la Tournelle which is built along the same line but serves to connect the ÃŽle Saint-Louis with the Left Bank.
History
The Pont Marie derives its name from theengineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
Christophe Marie, who proposed its construction beginning in 1605 in order to augment and assist in the urbanisation of the île Saint-Louis. However the bridge was not actually approved for building by the king until 1614, at which point Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
laid the first stone as part of a formal bridge building ceremony. Following approval, the Pont Marie's construction was spread out over 20 years, from 1614 to 1635. Thus, the bridge is one of the oldest bridges in Paris.
In 1635 the bridge was opened to circulation. Following its construction, there were proposals to build houses along the bridge's span. These proposals were countered by Christophe Marie, however approximately fifty were built regardless by carpenter Claude Dublet.
On 1 March 1658 a flood occurred, which caused the destruction of twenty houses that were built atop the structure and the deaths of about sixty people as well as the loss of two arches near to the ''île Saint-Louis'' side of the bridge. In 1660 a wooden bridge was rebuilt on the same spot, this time with a toll-booth which was designed to raise funds for the complete, stone renovation of the structure. This reconstruction was completed in 1670. In 1740, the remainder of the buildings atop the Pont Marie were removed and in 1769 all building atop the bridge was forbidden. In 1788, houses were barred from construction atop bridges throughout the city.
Since the 18th century, the structure has seen little change aside from the flattening of its rise which did not alter the appearance.
Each of the five arches of the Pont Marie is unique and that the niches in the abutments have never been filled with statues.
Some years ago, excursion boat companies operating in Paris began to claim that the Pont Marie is a "lovers' bridge" beneath which it is an "old tradition" to kiss the person next to oneself and make a wish (several variants on this theme exist). However, there is no historical basis for such a "tradition," even though it is now repeated without verification in an increasing number of tourist guides.
Access
See also
*List of crossings of the River Seine
This page is a list of present-day bridges over the Seine, River Seine and its channels, sorted by Departments of France, département, and then sorted from downstream to upstream. After each bridge is listed the name of the communes of France, co ...
Further reading
*External links
the Pont Marie's entry on the Paris Mairie's website
References
{{Authority control Marie Buildings and structures in the 4th arrondissement of Paris Bridges completed in the 17th century Buildings and structures completed in 1635 Transport infrastructure completed in the 1630s Former toll bridges in France 1635 establishments in France