Le pont Bouju - Chartres, France
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member pmaupin
N 48° 26.817 E 001° 29.511
31U E 388475 N 5367077
[EN] It was for a long time the most important bridge of the city, denominated Great Bridge and bridge of the Castle. [FR] Ce fut longtemps le pont le plus important de la ville, dénommé Grand Pont et pont du Château.
Waymark Code: WMXCBK
Location: Centre-Val-de-Loire, France
Date Posted: 12/26/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member silverquill
Views: 2

It was for a long time the most important bridge of the city, denominated Grand Bridge and bridge of the Castle, because it served the borough of the castle of the counts. No mention is made of it until 1300.

It may have replaced a drawbridge giving access to the castle's courtyard. In the 14th century, there was the mill of Tibelin and the banal oven of the canonesses of Saint-Maurice.

This bridge owes its name to a riverine family who lived in Chartres in the second half of the 18th century. Until the middle of the 18th century, travelers from Paris crossed the bridge to access the upper city.

They were sometimes embarrassed by the presence of houses built on its flanks. The last of these houses disappeared in 1871. On the upstream side, there remains the pavement of a drinking trough, visible when the waters of the river are low.

The rue du Bourg (formerly rue du Bourg-du-Château) which follows the bridge has retained most of its old half-timbered houses.

Sources : The Bridge

Photo goes Here

Ce fut longtemps le pont le plus important de la ville, dénommé Grand Pont et pont du Château, parce qu'il desservait le bourg du château des comtes. On n'en connaît pas de mention avant 1300.

Il peut avoir remplacé un pont-levis donnant accès à la basse-cour du château. Au 14e siècle, on y trouvait le moulin de Tibelin et le four banal des chanoinesses de Saint-Maurice.

Ce pont doit son nom à une famille riveraine qui vivait à Chartres dans la deuxième moitié du 18e siècle. Jusqu'au milieu du 18e siècle, les voyageurs venant de Paris franchissaient ce pont pour accéder à la haute ville.

Ils étaient parfois gênés par la présence de maisons construites sur ses flancs. La dernière de ces maisons a disparu en 1871. Du côté de l'amont, subsiste le pavage d'un abreuvoir, visible lorsque les eaux de la rivière sont basses.

La rue du Bourg (autrefois rue du Bourg-du-Château) qui fait suite au pont a conservé la plupart de ses maisons anciennes à pans de bois.

Sources : Le Pont

Physical Location (city, county, etc.): Chartres

Road, Highway, Street, etc.: Rue du Bourg

Water or other terrain spanned: Eure

Construction Date: 1735

Architect/Builder: Not listed

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pmaupin visited Le pont Bouju - Chartres, France 12/28/2016 pmaupin visited it