Pont-au-Change - Paris, France
N 48° 51.412 E 002° 20.798
31U E 452074 N 5411750
[FR] Le "N" impérial de Napoléon III, sculpté par Cabat, est identique à celui du Pont Saint-Michel. [EN] Napoleon III’s imperial letter "N", carved by Cabat, is identical to that on the Pont Saint-Michel.
Waymark Code: WM48YQ
Location: France
Date Posted: 07/23/2008
Views: 109
[FR] Situé dans le prolongement du pont Saint-Michel, le pont actuel, oeuvre des ingénieurs Romany et Vaudrey, sera inauguré en 1860. Il s'inscrira dans le programme d'aménagement du baron Haussmann, de l'axe des boulevards du Palais et Sébastopol nouvellement percés.
Deux plaques de marbre, fixées de chaque côté de l'entrée du pont sur l'île de la Cité, portent la mention "Pont-au-Change, construit sous le règne de Napoléon III, 1858-1860". Le pont est composé de trois arches de forme elliptique d'une portée de 30 mètres qui forment une structure en dos d'âne. Les voûtes en maçonnerie intègrent des pierres taillées du pont précédent.
[EN] Whatever one might say about his political strengths and weaknesses, it cannot be denied that Napoleon III initiated in Paris one of the vastest projects of urban renovations that the world has ever known. Inspired by the unrealized schemes for the city of his uncle Napoleon I, by urban successes seen during his travels abroad, by his hope to respond to the problems of overcrowded, unsanitary conditions in many areas of the city, and, very likely, by his desire to reduce the possibilities for popular insurrections and street barricades, Napoleon III at the very beginning of his regime drew up a list of urban projects that he planned to achieve.
It was a map of Paris indicating proposed new streets that the emperor gave to his new prefect in 1853. This new prefect was Georges-Eugène Haussmann whom Napoleon III named Prefect of the Seine in 1853 and who would prove to be the vigorous and capable administrator needed by the emperor to execute his plans.
As early as 1852 Napoleon III approved the construction of a new street to run from north to south between the rue du faubourg St-Denis and the rue du faubourg St-Martin. This was the boulevard de Strasbourg, which would connect the Gare de l’Est to the grands boulevards at the boulevard St-Denis.
Then, in 1854, the prolongation of this boulevard toward the south from the boulevard St-Denis was begun to link it to the place du Châtelet and the Pont au Change. This section of the street, named boulevard de Sébastapol, was completed in 1858.
Then, to continue this north-south route across the Seine, Haussmann had the street in front of the Palais de Justice in the Cité widened and straightened to form the boulevard du Palais and had the two bridges, Pont au Change and Pont St-Michel, rebuilt.
(From University of North Carolina Greensboro; division of continual learning on-line course material)
How identified / Comment identifie: The world wide web / La Toile
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Visiting Days or Hours / Heures d'ouverture: 24 x 7
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[FR] Ecrivez au moins une phrase complète qui décrira votre expérience lors de la visite et téléchargez une photo du site prise par vous si possible.