Pont des Arts

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The pont des Arts /põ dez aʁ/, or, more correctly, the passerelle des Arts /pasʁɛl dez aʁ/, is a steel-and-wood pedestrian bridge across the Seine River that connects the Louvre to the Institut de France. It is a popular spot for strollers and romantic young couples, since the view from either side of the bridge is splendid, and it gets away from the traffic noise that plagues most of Paris. There are occasional art shows and other events on the bridge, and it isn’t unusual to see people painting or sketching here.

The building in the background, the Institut de France, is the home of the French Academy, which supposedly keeps watch over the French language (although little attention is paid to what the Academy says these days).

This photo was taken at about 8:30 PM, and you are looking south. There were a fair number of people on the bridge, but most of them are invisible here because they were moving and this was a time exposure (you can see some ghostly outlines if you look very closely).

Behind the right (western) wing of the Institut and far off in the distance, you can see the lights of the (Maine-)Montparnasse Tower office building, possibly the ugliest modern building in Paris.

The pont des Arts was originally built, of iron, in 1804. It was rebuilt in 1883. It was fragile and damaged often by boats, so much so that it was closed in 1970. It was finally rebuilt again in steel, with fewer arches (seven instead of nine) in 1985. The name of the bridge is derived from the name of the Louvre (then called the Palais des Arts) at the time of its first construction. The bridge was designed by engineers Louis-Alexandre de Cessart and Jacques Lacroix-Dillon, and was originally a toll bridge (but pedestrian from the start). The wooden walkway of the bridge was recently rebuilt.

You may occasionally see padlocks attached to the bridge, often along the railings, apparently securing nothing and sometimes bearing inscriptions in marker or paint. These are placed their by people in love, particularly around Valentine's Day. The bridge is a particularly romantic place for lovers to visit, so it seems to get more padlocks than other places. The custom is not limited to France.

Photographed on November 11, 2000.