Pont d'Aiguines, Historic bridge in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, France.
Pont d'Aiguines is a former bridge that once crossed the Verdon River near Moustiers-Sainte-Marie and features seven stone arches. The structure has been completely submerged beneath Lake Sainte-Croix since the completion of a dam in 1974.
The bridge was destroyed during World War II when both resistance fighters and German forces damaged it, and American airplanes later bombed the area. After the war ended, it was intentionally flooded in 1974 when the dam project was completed.
The bridge represents a link to the region's past and how the landscape transformed when water replaced stone and roads. Today, it serves as a symbol of change that shaped the lives of local people and their relationship with the Verdon valley.
The bridge becomes visible from the water's surface only when lake levels drop significantly during dry periods. Visitors can explore the area by boat or hike along the shoreline to get a sense of where the structure lies beneath the water.
The bridge was filmed for director René Clement's 1952 movie 'Forbidden Games' before it disappeared underwater. This site holds a connection to cinema history and offers a poignant link to a vanished past.
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