Pont Neuf, Toulouse
My previous photo showed the famous Pont Neuf – or ‘New Bridge’ – of Toulouse, seen from a distance of several hundred metres in the hazy Autumn light. Here, I am standing again on the east bank of the river Garonne, but this time on the south side of the bridge beside the first arch and below the Quai de Tounis.
Built of bricks and stone, the construction took from 1544 to 1632, although the bridge was not inaugurated until 16 October, 1659, in the reign of King Louis XIV. The laying of the foundations took many years, and the first arch was not commenced until 1614. I presume it was the one nearest to the camera, since this is the side of the old city itself. Interestingly, the bridge is not symmetrical, and the highest point occurs above the third arch of the seven, rather than above the middle arch, as can be clearly seen in my photo. This arch is the largest of them, with a span of 30 metres.
Today, the Pont Neuf is still perhaps Toulouse’s most renowned historic structure, and used daily by thousands of pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.
(guest post by photographer Andrew McRae)
1 comment
You can also see from your photo that there is the famous pink stone or brick in its construction. Not the structural arches possibly because (I seem to recall) the pink stone is a bit soft. Most of the buildings in the old central Toulouse are made of the pink brick which gives the city its nickname of Ville Rose. Beautiful and great city. I hope to spend more time there one day when I sail my (future) peniche on the Canal du Midi and berth at the port right near the heart of the city. This is the terminus of the Canal du Midi but the Canal Lateral de la Garonne takes you on to Bordeaux city, thus allowing boats to sail between the Med and Atlantic, with Toulouse right in the middle.
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