Pont Royal

Hidden in plain sight, a silent witness observes centuries of Parisian life. This is the Pont Royal. It’s the third oldest bridge in Paris, gracefully spanning the Seine. Pont Royal connects the Right Bank, near the Pavillon de Flore, to the Left Bank, nestled between Rue du Bac and Rue de Beaune. Its five elliptical arches, en plein cintre, speak of a history richer than the Seine itself. Pont Royal wasn’t always so grand. Before its stone elegance, a wooden toll-bridge stood here in 1632. Known as the Pont Sainte-Anne, or sometimes the Pont Rouge due to its color, it was a fragile structure. It endured repairs, floods, fires, and even complete rebuilds. Finally, in 1684, a flood swept it away. Madame de Sévigné, a prominent writer of the time, documented the loss of eight of its arches. Louis XIV then commissioned the construction of the stone Pont Royal we see today. The project, funded entirely by the king, began in 1685 and finished in 1689. Jacques Gabriel, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and François Romain oversaw the design and construction, ensuring its regal permanence. The bridge played host to grand festivities and celebrations throughout the 18th century. Even amidst revolution, its importance remained. During the turbulent years following the fall of the monarchy, the bridge was renamed Pont National and later Pont des Tuileries. Napoleon Bonaparte himself positioned cannons on Pont Royal to defend the Tuileries Palace, the seat of the Convention Nationale and the Committee of Public Safety. With the restoration of the monarchy in 1814, Louis XVIII reinstated the name Pont Royal. The bridge has seen one more reconstruction since, in 1850. It stands today, a classified historical monument since 1939. Look closely, and you can find a hydrographic ladder on the piers near each bank. These markings bear witness to the highest flood levels in Paris, a reminder of the Seine’s power and the Pont Royal’s enduring strength.