Pont de Verdun, Stone road bridge over the Maine in Angers, France

The Pont de Verdun is a 105-meter stone bridge that crosses the Maine River in Angers, featuring robust blocks stacked together. The structure connects both riverbanks with a roadway for vehicles and a pedestrian area alongside it.

A crossing here is first attested in the third quarter of the 6th century by Gregory of Tours, and it may date back to the Gallic period. In 1028 Count Foulque Nerra of Anjou rebuilt it in stone as the Grand Pont, soon lined with houses, water mills, fisheries and goldsmiths. Rebuilt again in the 19th century without houses, it was renamed for Lieutenant-Colonel Beaurepaire, who died at Verdun in 1792.

The bridge's name comes from the statue of Lieutenant-Colonel Beaurepaire, a French officer who died in 1792 during the surrender of Verdun to the Prussians; it predates the 1916 battle of the same name. The statue stands at the left end of the span, on a pedestal above the parapet.

You can easily cross the bridge on foot or drive across, as it accommodates both types of traffic. The paths on both sides are well accessible and lead directly to the main streets of Angers.

The bridge's name does not refer to the 1916 Battle of Verdun: it commemorates Lieutenant-Colonel Beaurepaire, a French officer killed in 1792 during the surrender of Verdun to the Prussians. The statue on its pedestal at the bridge's end was erected for him, and the bridge took his name from it.