Pont de l'Alma, Paris

Pont de l'Alma, Paris
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pont_de_l%27Alma_Paris_FRA_004.jpg
Author: ignis


Pont de l'Alma is an arch bridge across the River Seine in Paris. The original bridge was completed in 1856 and named to commemorate the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War, where the French-British alliance won against the Russians on 20 September, 1854.

The Pont de l'Alma was decorated with a statue of a Zouave soldier, which came to be used as a measuring instrument in determining the water level of the Seine. If the water level reaches the Zouave's feet, the footpaths by the Seine is closed to pedestrians; if it reaches the statue's thighs, then the river is not navigable anymore. During the great flood of 1910, it reached the Zouave's shoulders.

The present Pont de l'Alma ws completed in 1974 when the old bridge was completely dismantled as it had become too narrow to accommodate the increased traffic on both ends. Moreover, it had subsided by some 80 centimeters.

How to reach Pont de l'Alma

Take the Métro to the Alma-Marceau subway station or the RER to the Pont de l'Alma subway station.

List of Bridges in Paris and Bridges in France

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