Pont National, Swing bridge in Brest, France
Pont National is a swing bridge spanning about 104 meters across the Penfeld River. It connects the city center to the Recouvrance neighborhood using a steel and masonry structure.
The bridge opened in 1861 and operated until its destruction in 1944 during World War II. It represented 19th-century engineering innovation for connecting port cities.
The bridge was first named Pont Impérial in honour of Napoleon III and renamed Pont National after the 1870 war. From 11 June 1898 line 1 of the Brest tramway ran across its deck. The crossing replaced the old ferry right paid to a "passier", and Recouvrance residents had petitioned for a bridge since 1836.
The bridge no longer exists: it stood where the Pont de Recouvrance now crosses the Penfeld, between rue de Siam and Recouvrance near the Tour Tanguy. Look for the 1950s lift bridge and the riverside quays of the harbor to locate the former crossing.
The structure could rotate its roadway 90 degrees to allow large warships like the French cruiser Duguay-Trouin to pass through. This rotating function was an engineering achievement that enabled many vessels to access the inner harbor.
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