Pont Vieux de Cluses, Stone bridge in Cluses, France.
The Pont Vieux de Cluses is a single-arch stone bridge over the Arve at the start of the geographic Cluse. Its arch has a span of 25.50 m, rising from abutments on both banks to carry a flat roadway. The masonry is of grey, roughly cut blocks, with a small dark rectangular opening set into the left side above the arch springing and sparse plants growing from the crevices.
This bridge was built in 1674 and served as the first permanent crossing of the Arve River in the area. It remained the only such connection until 1850 when a second crossing called Pont Neuf was constructed.
A graffito carved into the stone names the builder, Charles Barbier, while the architect was François Guénot, who usually worked for Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy. The bridge was the only crossing of the Arve until the Pont Neuf was built in 1850, so it long carried all traffic through Cluses at the start of the geographic Cluse.
The bridge carries the road at the mouth of the Cluse, where the Arve leaves its gorge, so it is crossed on foot or by bike rather than admired from a car. The roadway is flat and the single 25.50 m arch gives a clear line across; the parapet is low, so keep to the middle with children.
An old inscription carved into the stone surface preserves the name Charles Barbier, the builder who created this crossing about 350 years ago. This hand-carved mark gives visitors today a personal connection to the person behind this construction.
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