George V Bridge

To your right, you’ll see the George V Bridge. The very first bridge to cross the Loire at Orléans dates all the way back to the Gallic period. It connected Rue du Lin — just behind you — to the Saint Marceau district on the opposite bank. Over the centuries, a series of wooden bridges stood in this same spot. Then, in the 12th century, imagine this: they built the first stone bridge across the river, using islands in the middle of the Loire as support points — one of which even housed a hospice. Fast forward to the 18th century, the golden age of stone bridge construction. The old Tourelles Bridge and those river islands were cleared to make way for a brand-new structure: the Royal Bridge. It was later renamed the National Bridge during the French Revolution, and eventually became the George V Bridge, in honor of the British monarch — a tribute to France’s allies during the First World War.