Vieux pont d'Albi, Stone arch bridge in Albi, France

The Vieux pont d'Albi is a stone arch bridge that spans the Tarn River with a length of about 151 meters and multiple arches beneath. It continues to serve as a crossing for both foot traffic and vehicles between the two sides of the city.

The bridge was built between 1035 and 1042, paid for with part of the income from the ferry that had crossed the Tarn there under the Chapter. The oldest parts still visible date from the 13th century, when it was rebuilt, probably between 1230 and 1240, and a toll was levied at its entrance. Tolls collected from goods, and from Jews living or dead, passed from the viscounts to the bishops and in 1269 to the consuls of Albi, funding the bridge and the town walls.

The bridge was once a living space where craftspeople such as tanners and shoemakers built their homes and workshops alongside the pathways. This mixing of residence and trade made it a vibrant community hub rather than just a passage.

The deck was straightened and widened in 1820 so four-wheeled carts could pass each other, and it was restored over 26 months from March 2023 to May 2025, reopening on 19 June 2025. The roadway and pavements were renewed and the stonework cleaned and repointed. Look for the brick facing added in 1820 above the stone piers.

The bridge's toll records of 1245, kept in the Albi cartulary, list about 200 taxed goods, from foodstuffs and hides to tools, Carmaux coal and pastel dye. They also note that Jews, living or dead, were taxed. The money kept both bridge and town walls in repair.