Pont Alexandre III

Pont Alexandre III
Pont Alexandre III; Grand Palais in the background
Crosses	The Seine River
Locale	Paris, France
Next upstream	Pont de la Concorde
Next downstream	Pont des Invalides
Characteristics
Total length	160 metres (520 ft)^[1]
Width	40 metres (130 ft)^[1]

View of the street crossing on the bridge.

The Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the city.^[2]^[3] It is classified as a French Monument historique.

Location on the Seine in Paris.

History

The Beaux-Arts style bridge, with its exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at either end, was built between 1896 and 1900. It is named after Tsar Alexander III, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. His son Nicholas II laid the foundation stone in October 1896. The style of the bridge reflects that of the Grand Palais, to which it leads on the right bank.

The construction of the bridge is a marvel of 19th century engineering, consisting of a 6 metres (20 ft) high single span steel arch. The design, by the architects Joseph Cassien-Bernard and Gaston Cousin, was subject to strict controls that prevented the bridge from obscuring the view of the Champs-Élysées or the Invalides.

The bridge was built by the engineers Jean Résal and Amédée d'Alby. It was inaugurated in 1900 for the Exposition Universelle (universal exhibition) World's Fair, as were the nearby Grand Palais and Petit Palais.

Gilded "Fames" sculptures on the socle counterweights.

Sculptures

Numerous sculptors provided the sculptures that feature prominently on the bridge.

"Fames"

Four gilt-bronze statues of Fames watch over the bridge, supported on massive 17 metres (56 ft) masonry socles, that provide stabilizing counterweight for the arch, without interfering with monumental views. The socles are crowned by Fames restraining Pegasus.

On the Right Bank, Renommée des Sciences ("Fame of the Sciences") and the Renommée des Arts ("Fame of the Arts") both by Emmanuel Frémiet; at their bases, La France Contemporaine ("Contemporary France") by Gustave Michel and France de Charlemagne ("France of Charlemagne") by Alfred Lenoir. The lions groups are by Georges Gardet.
On the Left Bank, the Renommée du Commerce ("Fame of Commerce") by Pierre Granet and the Renommée de l'Industrie ("Fame of Industry") by Clément Steiner; at their bases France de la Renaissance ("France of the Renaissance") by Jules Coutan and La France de Louis XIV ("France of Louis XIV") by Laurent Marqueste. The lions groups are by Jules Dalou.

Nymphs of the Neva relief.

"Nymphs"

The Nymph reliefs are at the centres of the arches over the Seine, memorials to the Franco-Russian Alliance. The "Nymphs of the Seine" has a relief of the arms of France, and faces the "Nymphs of the Neva" with the arms of Imperial Russia. They are both are executed in hammered copper over forms by Georges Récipon.
In the same political spirit, the Trinity Bridge in Saint Petersburg was conceived as a memorial to the Franco-Russian Alliance. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel, and the first stone laid in August 1897 by French president Félix Faure.

Cultural associations

Films and videos

In the animated film Anastasia (1997), the bridge is damaged by Rasputin in an attempt to kill Anastasia, who in real life was the granddaughter of Alexander III of Russia.
In the film Angel-A it is the Pont Alexandre III from which Angela and André jump into the Seine.
In the film French Postcards, the final romantic scene takes place on the bridge.
In the film Midnight in Paris, the bridge is depicted in multiple scenes, including the final one.
In the film Ronin, the spy team meets some arms dealers under the bridge on the Right Bank.
In the film A Very Long Engagement, Marion Cotillard's character kills the character played by François Levantal under the bridge.
In the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill, Bond (Roger Moore) comes to a halt at the bridge in a hijacked Renault 11 taxi.
Adele's music video for the song "Someone Like You" was shot on the bridge in 2011.

References

1 2 "Alexandre III Bridge". Structurae—International Database for Civil and Structural Engineering. Wilhelm Ernst & Sohn Verlag. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
↑ Books.google.com: "the most ornate"
↑ Books.google.com: "the most extravagant"

External links

Alexandre III Bridge at Structurae
Pont Alexandre III
Alexandre III Bridge, current photographs and of the 1900s.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pont Alexandre-III.

Tourism in Paris

Landmarks	Arc de Triomphe Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel Arènes de Lutèce Bourse Catacombs Conciergerie Eiffel Tower Flame of Liberty Grand Palais and Petit Palais Institut de France Les Invalides Odéon Opéra Bastille Opéra Garnier Panthéon Philharmonie de Paris Porte Saint-Denis Porte Saint-Martin Sorbonne Tour Montparnasse

Museums	Bibliothèque nationale Carnavalet Centre Pompidou/Beaubourg Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie Jeu de Paume Louis Vuitton Foundation Musée des Arts Décoratifs Musée des Arts et Métiers Musée Cognacq-Jay Musée Grévin Musée Jacquemart-André Musée du Louvre Musée Marmottan Monet Musée national des Monuments Français Muséum national d'histoire naturelle Musée national du Moyen Âge Musée de l'Orangerie Musée d'Orsay Musée Picasso Musée du quai Branly Musée Rodin Palais de la Légion d'Honneur Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris

Religious buildings	Alexander Nevsky Cathedral American Cathedral American Church Chapelle expiatoire Grand Mosque Grand Synagogue La Madeleine Notre Dame Père Lachaise Cemetery Sacré-Cœur Saint-Augustin Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Saint-Eustache Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois Saint-Jacques Tower Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Saint-Pierre de Montmartre Saint-Roch Saint-Sulpice Sainte-Chapelle Sainte-Clotilde Temple du Marais Val-de-Grâce

Hôtels particuliers and palaces	Élysée Palace Hôtel de Sens Hôtel de Soubise Hôtel de Sully Hôtel de Ville Hôtel Matignon Luxembourg Palace Palais Bourbon Palais de Justice Palais-Royal

Areas, bridges, streets and squares	Avenue Foch Avenue George V Champ de Mars Champs-Élysées Covered passages Latin Quarter Place Dauphine Place de la Bastille Place de la Concorde Place de la République Place Denfert-Rochereau Place des États-Unis Place des Pyramides Place des Victoires Place des Vosges Place du Châtelet Place du Tertre Place Saint-Michel Place Vendôme Pont Alexandre III Pont d'Iéna Pont de Bir-Hakeim Pont des Arts Pont Neuf Rive Gauche Rue de Rivoli Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré Trocadéro

Parks and gardens	Bois de Boulogne Bois de Vincennes Jardin d'Acclimatation Jardin du Luxembourg Parc des Buttes Chaumont Parc Montsouris Tuileries Garden

Région parisienne	Chantilly La Défense Disneyland Paris Écouen Fontainebleau France Miniature Malmaison Musée de l’air et de l’espace Musée Fragonard d'Alfort Parc Astérix Provins Rambouillet La Roche-Guyon Basilica of St Denis Saint-Germain-en-Laye Sceaux Stade de France Vaux-le-Vicomte Palace and Gardens of Versailles Vincennes

Events and traditions	Bastille Day military parade Fête de la Musique Nuit Blanche Paris Air Show Paris-Plages Republican Guard

Paris Métro Bateaux Mouches

Coordinates: 48°51′49″N 2°18′49″E / 48.86361°N 2.31361°E / 48.86361; 2.31361

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