Pont Mirabeau – Technical facts
The Pont Mirabeau is a Parisian bridge made famous by Guillaume Apollinaire‘s eponymous poem.
It connects the Front de Seine district in the 15th arrondissement, near the Eiffel Tower, to the Place de Barcelone in the 16th arrondissement.
Designed in 1893 by engineers Paul Rabel, Jean Resal, and Amédée Alby, the Pont Mirabeau consists of three metal arches. The central arch spans 93 metres, while the lateral arches each measure 32.4 metres.
It is 173 metres long and 20 metres wide, and is open to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
The architect Juste Lisch designed the magnificent building that houses the Javel train station for the 1900 Universal Exposition. This station still provides access to the Javel-André Citroën metro station.
Allegorical statues
The Pont Mirabeau boasts a unique design: its two piers are shaped like ships, with a prow and a stern.
These piers, adorned with granite and Cherbourg limestone slabs, were sculpted by Jean-Antoine Injalbert and are embellished with allegorical statues. The statues at the prow symbolise the City of Paris and Abundance, while those at the stern represent Navigation and Commerce, and the coat of arms of the City of Paris adorn the parapet.
The bridge has two flights of steps leading down to the Rive Droite – Right Bank, as well as two access ramps to access the headquarters of the Port Autonome de Paris – Port of Paris Authority on the Rive Gauche – Left Bank.
The Mirabeau Bridge was listed as a Historical Monument in 1975.
Le Pont Mirabeau by Guillaume Apollinaire
Guillaume Apollinaire wrote his poem “Le Pont Mirabeau” in 1913 after breaking up with the painter Marie Laurencin. The bridge painfully reminded him of his lost love, as he often crossed it to meet her. Composed of short, un-punctuated lines, the poem explores the intimately linked themes of passage of time and the enduring power of love. The fusion of a modern style and timeless themes, combined with Apollinaire’s undeniable talent, quickly propelled the poem to the status of a celebrated phenomenon.
Here’s the first verse:
Sous le Pont Mirabeau coule la Seine
Et nos amours
Faut-il qu’il m’en souvienne
La joie venait toujours après la peine
Vienne la nuit sonne l’heure
Les jours s’en vont je demeure
Under the Mirabeau Bridge flows the Seine
And our loves
Must I remember them
Joy always followed pain
The night falls and the hours ring
The days go away I remain
Directions: 15th/16th districts
Metro stations: Mirabeau and Javel-André Citroën on Line 10
Coordinates: Lat 48.8465944 – Long 2.275791400000003
