Viaduc de Bandol, Railway bridge in Bandol, France
The viaduc de Bandol is a railway bridge in the town of Bandol in southern France, spanning the Grand Vallat valley with masonry arches and reaching 51 m (about 167 ft) in height and 136 m (about 446 ft) in length. It carries the rail line that runs between Marseille and Ventimiglia on the Italian border.
The viaduct was built in the 19th century as part of the construction of the coastal rail line along the Mediterranean. It was considered a technical achievement of its time because it crosses a deep valley using only stone masonry.
The viaduct serves as a landmark for people in Bandol, and it appears regularly in local photography and drawings. The stone arches change appearance depending on the time of day, drawing photographers to the spot again and again.
The viaduct is best seen from the paths that run through the valley below it. Clear weather makes the stone arches easier to read against the surrounding hills, so a morning or late afternoon visit tends to give the best light.
In the 1860s, the photographer Édouard Baldus captured the viaduct at a time when photographing large engineering works was still a novelty. His images are among the earliest known visual records of the bridge.
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