Pont neuf picture paris panoramic

The Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge in Paris. Its name comes from the fact that the first bridge built in stone arch in Paris (before the bridges were built of wood). Its construction was decided in 1577, and November 2 of that year, Henry III appointed a commission to ensure the proper construction of the bridge and the works. It instructs Claude Marcel, Comptroller General of Finance, to liaise between him and the commission. The construction is authorized by letters patent of the king on 16 March 1578, which laid the first stone structure on 31 May in the presence of the queen mother Catherine de Medici and Queen Louise of Lorraine.
Its construction will continue until 1607, during the reign of Henri IV. However, the site behind and the work had to be suspended for ten years, from 1588 to 1598 because of the wars of religion. In 1599, Henri IV ordered the resumption of work, which he entrusted the leadership to William Marchant and François Petit.
It is also the first bridge in Paris not to be covered. Pont neuf picture paris panoramic
On 23 August 1614, four years after the assassination of King, the equestrian statue of Henri IV commissioned from Giambologna by Marie de Medici was inaugurated. This statue was made with the bronze effigy of the Desaix.
There are sides of the witness marks of the flood of 1910. Its average level is above the average level of the Marais.
In the first quarter of 2007, the City of Paris has completed the restoration, delivering the last ark and its masks, and right hand side lane on shore.
The bridge measuring 238 m. Its width is 20.50 m. The arm has seven large arches opening between 16.40 m and 19.40 m. It measures 154 m. The small arms has in turn, five-arched opening between 9 m and 16.70 m. It's 78 m long.