The construction of this legendary bridge began in 1578 under Henri III, who himself laid down the first brick. However the wars of religion meant that construction was a stop-start affair, and it was not inaugurated until 1607 by Henri IV. It was he who baptized the bridge “Pont Neuf” (or New Bridge) because of all the technical innovation and revolutionary new practises involved in constructing it. It was the first bridge ever to be built in stone; it was without any form of housing, contrary to what was usual for the time, and it was one of the first to have pavements for pedestrians. Pont Neuf was also the first bridge to entirely span the Seine from one side to the other.

From the time of its inauguration, Pont Neuf was an enormous popular success. It was not only a centre of activity for tradesman, but also for all sorts of performers – fire eaters, bear tamers, and storytellers of all kinds.

Pont Neuf is actually made up of two halves, separated by a central platform. It is situated at the western tip of the Ile de la Cité. One of its most striking characteristics is its semi-circular terraces, which provide welcome repose for those who want to contemplate the town and its river in their full splendour.

Each of the bridges’ arches is decorated with 384 figurines or ‘mascarons’ (the originals are kept in the Musée du Moyen Age and Musée de Carnavalet). The equestrian statue of Henri IV that had been placed on the platform was destroyed during the French Revolution. In 1818 a new statue of the king, still on a horse, was reinstalled in the same spot, cast from the same bronze as the statue of Napoleon in Place Vendôme.

That the bridge remains notorious to the present day was demonstrated in 1985 by the American artist Christo, who wrapped up the entire thing in 40,000 square metres of fabric. It is still one of Paris’ longest bridges (278 metres long and 28 metres wide). The bridge links the quai de la Megisserie on the Right Bank with the quai des Grands Augustins, on the Left Bank. (Note: La Samaritaine, a very famous and historic department store of the Rive Droite, founded in 1870 by Ernest Cognacq, is ideally lcoated in front of the Pont Neuf. Its doors were unfortenately closed in July 2005 for security reasons, and for a period of five to six years. We all wish this famous and likeable store to reopen its doors as soon as possible.)