Viaduct of Changis, Railway bridge in Avon, France
The Viaduct of Changis is a railway bridge in Avon that spans 380 meters and rises 20 meters above ground level. It is built with multiple arches designed to support the weight of passing trains.
The viaduct was built to support railway connections between Paris and southern France. The structure marks an important stage in the development of France's rail network during the 1800s.
The viaduct appears in a polychrome ceramic, La Saint-Fiacre à Avon vers 1900 by Marie Poirier, made in the 1950s, with the bridge and the Changis valley in the background. An 1856 engraving in the 16th edition of the Denecourt guide shows Fontainebleau, Avon and the viaduct seen from the Rocher d'Avon. In 2023 the artist Invader placed a mosaic, reference FTBL_14, on one of the piers; it was destroyed soon after and reactivated in 2025.
The viaduct carries the Paris–Lyon–Marseille line at kilometre point 59.531, between Fontainebleau–Avon and Thomery stations. It is flanked by rue du Viaduc to the west and rue Nelly-Kopp to the east, about 110 m from the platforms. The deck is closed to pedestrians, so the arches are seen from these streets below.
In February 2023 the street artist Invader placed a mosaic (reference FTBL_14) on one of the viaduct's piers as part of his Space Invaders project around Fontainebleau. It was destroyed shortly afterwards and reactivated in 2025. The viaduct also appears in the background of Marie Poirier's polychrome ceramic La Saint-Fiacre à Avon vers 1900, made in the 1950s.
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