Vieux pont de Sospel, Medieval stone bridge in Sospel, France
The Vieux pont de Sospel is a fortified stone bridge with two arches and a central defensive tower rising from its span across the Bevera River. The structure connects both banks with a width of about 5.5 meters and a total length of 36 meters.
An act of 1217 mentions a bridge "in Cespello ultra pontem", and the first bridge is often dated to the 12th century. A masonry bridge is first recorded in 1522, after an arch collapsed; the springing of that arch remains visible on the central pier. The bridge carried the road from Nice to Piedmont via the Roya valley and the Tende pass.
The bridge stood on the road linking Nice to Piedmont through the Roya valley and the Tende pass, and in 1217 an act was passed "in Cespello ultra pontem" for building a bridge here. The central tower already appears in an engraving of the Theatrum Sabaudiae from 1682.
The bridge is located at Place Saint-Nicolas in the historic center of Sospel and remains open to pedestrians. The tower and bridge pathways offer good photo opportunities and views of the surrounding streets and river.
The bridge was mined and blown up by German troops retreating on the night of 27–28 October 1944. It was rebuilt between 1952 and early 1957 reusing the same stones, and the stump of an arch that collapsed in 1522 is still visible on the central pier.
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