Pont Marie, Stone bridge in 4th arrondissement, France
Pont Marie is a masonry bridge over the Seine, about 92 m long between abutments, with a 22.60 m wide deck: a 14.60 m roadway and two 4 m sidewalks. Its five arches vary in span from 14 to 18 m, separated by stone piers founded on wooden piles with pointed cutwaters. Each cutwater is topped by a niche that has always remained empty of statues.
Christophe Marie proposed a stone bridge to develop the Île Saint-Louis; the first stone was laid on 11 October 1614, and the bridge opened in 1635. On 1 March 1658 a flood destroyed two arches and about twenty houses built on the deck, killing dozens. Rebuilt in wood in 1660 and in stone from 1667, it was cleared of its houses by 1789 and restored in the 19th century.
The bridge is named after Christophe Marie, the engineer-entrepreneur who pushed the project from 1605 and signed the first contract in 1614. Excursion boats now promote it as a "lovers' bridge" where couples kiss and make a wish, a claim with no historical basis that keeps appearing in tourist guides.
The bridge links Île Saint-Louis to the quai de l'Hôtel-de-Ville in the 4th arrondissement, with the Pont Marie metro station on the island side. Its deck is about 22.6 m wide, with a 14.6 m roadway and two 4 m pavements. The five arches differ in span, from 14 to 18 m, and the piers rest on wooden piles.
The niches atop the cutwaters have always remained empty of statues, as the French sources state. Another overlooked point: since the 18th century the bridge has changed little apart from a flattening of its rise, which did not alter its appearance. Excursion boat companies now call it a "lovers' bridge", a claim with no historical basis.
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