Category: History

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Paris Bridges

I Like Bridges

Especially the bridges in Paris. They are all so unique and each has a different history. If you’ve been to Paris and have not taken one of the river cruises, you should definitely plan on doing that the next time you have some free time. Looking at the bridge from the perspective of being on the water will offer you glimpses of sights you can’t see from either on the bridge or from the street.

The Pont de la Concorde is a great example. Commissioned in 1755 with construction beginning in 1787, the bridge connects the Left Bank along the Quai des Tuileries with the Place de la Concorde on the Right Bank. The bridge was built and competed (1791) during the French Revolution. The massive stones from the Bastille (dismantled 1789–90) were used to build the bridge. The only way you can see those stones is on the river cruise (look up as you cruise under it). The bridge was widened in 1930 to double its size. Unfortunately, the widening and subsequent renovation in 1983 obscured the original stones.

Pont Neuf

pont neuf, one of paris' bridges
Pont Neuf (1872). Auguste Renoir (18411919), Paris, Oil on canvas. Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection.

Pont Neuf or “New Bridge” is actually the oldest bridge in Paris. The bridge was conceived during the reign of Henri II (1547–59), with construction starting in 1578 under his son, Henri III, and finished in 1607 under Henri IV. This was a most unusual bridge at the time. Read More Paris Bridges

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Marianne, Les Misérables, and Other French Symbols

I have to admit, I have not seen the movie or the play or read the book. Les Misérables, as most of you know, was written by Victor Hugo and published in 1862. I’m sure many of you have seen the play or movie. However, I have seen Marianne in person.

Here’s what most of you don’t know: Les Misérables has nothing to do with the French Revolution. The book covers the time between Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo (1815) and the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris. The underlying principles and consequences of the French Revolution certainly provided the foundation for the events depicted in Les Misérables but the actual events of the Revolution had been over since 1794 (most historians will probably quibble with that date).

The Revolution of 1830 and the Rebellion of 1832 were struggles between the Republicans, Royalists, and Bonapartists. It was all about how France was to be governed. Hugo was a staunch supporter of the French Revolution and the Republicans. The 1830 Revolution saw the abdication of Charles X (the last king in the Bourbon dynasty). That appealed to the Republicans and the Bonapartists. The leadership gap was filled by Louis-Philippe (son of the guillotined Duke of Orléans or as he was commonly known: Philippe Égalité). Louis-Philippe was crowned king and now everyone was upset for one reason or another. He survived the 1832 Rebellion—until 1848, when he abdicated and fled to England and the French Second Republic was born. Read More Marianne, Les Misérables, and Other French Symbols