Pont au Change, the moneylenders’ bridge!
The Pont au Change has only existed under this name since the 12th century.
The Grand-Pont (Great Bridge) was built in the 9th century to span the main branch of the Seine and was named to distinguish it from the Petit Pont (Little Bridge), which connected (and still connects) the Ile de la Cité to the Left Bank.
In the Middle Ages, all Parisian bridges were made of wood. They served not only to cross the river, but they were also built upon with houses, shops and even mills.
Thus, in 1141, King Louis VII decreed that money changers and goldsmiths should establish themselves there, undoubtedly to control their activities. The bridge then became known as the Pont aux Changeurs (Changers’ Bridge), Pont au Change, and even Pont de la Marchandise.
Recurring floods and ice blocks carried by the Seine during harsh winter severely damaged the Pont aux Changeurs throughout the 11th and 12th centuries. It was rebuilt slightly upstream at the very beginning of the 17th century, but was destroyed by fire in 1621. A second bridge had also been built around the same time, a little further downstream. Both bridges were demolished and replaced by a single, temporary bridge.
The architect Jean Androuet du Cerceau was commissioned to rebuild the Pont aux Change in the mid-17th century. This stone bridge, financed by jewellers and goldsmiths, had seven arches and was then the widest in Paris. However, it too was severely damaged by flooding in the following decades.
It was repaired in the mid-18th century, but a royal edict of September 7, 1786 ordered the destruction of all the bridge’s structures, as their weight threatened its stability.
Pont au Change – Technical facts
The current Pont au Change was built between 1856 and 1860 during the Second Empire. Its piers are decorated with escutcheons bearing the letter N, the initial of Emperor Napoleon III.
The Pont au Change has three arches, each 31 metres long, and is 30 metres wide. It connects the Quai de l’Horloge on the Île de la Cité to the Quai de la Mégisserie and the Quai de Gesvres on the Right Bank. The Boulevard du Palais connects the bridge to its counterpart, the Pont Saint-Michel on the Left Bank.
Thanks to its prime location, the Pont au Change offers breathtaking views of the Conciergerie and the Place du Châtelet, making it a favourite subject for photographers seeking to capture the essence of Paris.
Metro: Cité or Châtelet on Line 4
Coordinates: Lat 48.856291 – Long 2.346554
