The Stone Bridge

As you will have noticed, the historic side of Bordeaux is concentrated on the left bank of the Garonne. There’s a rather simple explanation to that. The river used to be so difficult to cross that it offered added security,and the right bank was just an unattractive marshy area. The Stone bridge you can see today was the first bridge to be built in Bordeaux. A company was set up to finance its construction, promising shareholders a rapid return on their investment through tolls. You might have heard that the 17 arches of the bridge represent “Napoléon Bonaparte’s” 17 letters, but in fact they don’t! There were originally supposed to be 19, but 2 arches were removed from the project due to lack of budget. At the end of the day, if it makes Napoleon happy… Anyway, the creation of this bridge opened up a whole new world of possibilities and allowed the city to expand on the right bank for the first time in its history. Nowadays it gives you access to the rather alternative Bastide district, a former industrial and working-class suburb born from this expansion on the other side of the Garonne. Do go and explore it if you have any time left in Bordeaux. It is home to the famous Darwin square, as well as the Botanical Gardens and the Angelic Park, offering a magnificent green space for a stroll. You’ll also see the former Orléans station converted into a multiplex cinema, and the beautiful Sainte-Marie de la Bastide church, designed by Paul Abadie, architect of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris, whose bulbous steeple will look very familiar. Also, don’t miss the Art Nouveau style, Cantonnale House, built in the 1930s . But before you set off to explore the Bastide district, let’s continue our discovery of the historic centre.