Pont Saint-Louis, a footbridge between Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis
The Pont Saint-Louis is a footbridge that connects the Ile de la Cité to the Ile Saint-Louis.
The Île Saint-Louis did not exist before 1614, and was formed by the merging of two islets, the Île aux Vaches and the Île Notre-Dame, which belonged to the Diocese of Paris and had served as pastures for centuries.
The Île Saint-Louis was thus developed between 1620 and 1650, and was known as the Île Notre-Dame until the early 18th century.
Architect Christophe Marie built the first wooden footbridge, the Pont Saint-Landry, began in 1627 to connect the tip of the Quai de Bourbon and the Quai d’Orléans of the Ile saint-Louis to the eastern tip of the Île de la Cité.
This footbridge was opened in 1634, but it was swept away by blocks of ice carried by the Seine during the winter of 1709.
It was replaced in 1717 by a new footbridge, painted red, which was named (unsurprisingly) the Pont Rouge (Red Bridge), which was swept away by the floods of 1795.
The Pont de la Cité replaced it in 1804 but collapsed in 1809. The wooden footbridge that replaced it was in turn demolished in 1811 to be replaced by another wooden footbridge with two arches!
The first Pont Saint-Louis was built in 1842 and replaced in 1861 by the second Pont Saint-Louis. However, this bridge was repeatedly struck by barges and was so weakened, despite constant repairs, that it collapsed in 1939 after being hit once again, resulting in the death of three pedestrians.
A temporary cage-type footbridge replaced it in 1941, but work on the current Pont Saint-Louis did not begin until 1968. Opened to pedestrian traffic in 1970, this 67-meter-long and 16-meter-wide, single-arch metal footbridge has become one of Paris’s most popular footbridges.
Besides providing easy access between the Île de la Cité and the Île Saint-Louis, it offers breathtaking views of both islands and is a favourite spot for street performers. Singers, musicians, and acrobats indeed often entertain the crowds during the tourist season, contributing to the bridge’s atmosphere.
Metro: Pont-Marie on Line 7 or Cité on Line 4
Coordinates: Lat 48.852788 – Long 2.352802
