Pont Neuf – New Bridge
This point of interest is available as audio on the tour: Visit Paris, From the Mona Lisa to the Notre-Dame Cathedral
You’re now on the Pont Neuf, the New Bridge. Weirdly enough, it’s actually the oldest bridge in Paris. As is so often the case, a city’s ‘new bridge’ is actually one of its oldest. This one was so named for a number of firsts; it was the first bridge to be built in the open with no houses on it, and it even had sidewalks so that passers-by wouldn’t get muddy. Pretty innovative for the time! Plus, it was the first stone bridge to completely cross the Seine. They even installed an unheard-of machine up there, the Samaritaine pump, which drew water from the river and supplied it to the Louvre and Tuileries Palace. That’s how the famous department store, on the right bank over there, got its name. It was on this bridge that the Parisian bouquinistes, the iconic riverside booksellers, first set up shop. See those little balconies above each arch? This is where they would stand and sell their books to passers-by. The thing is, soon enough, there were so many of them that book stalls were banned here. But here’s the crazier part: in 1984, workers found a crocodile in the sewers below the bridge! It was a real shock, considering it’s a long way from the Nile. The animal was taken to the Vannes aquarium in Brittany. And then there’s the equestrian statue of Henry IV. The original was melted down to make cannons during the French Revolution. This one is a replica from the Restoration period, when the monarchy was making a last stand. Rumor has it that the sculptor, who was a secret Bonapartist, hid anti-royalist messages inside the statue. Now that’s a risky move. And guess what? They actually found them in 2004! They opened the statue and found a total of 7 boxes, 3 of which actually contained sealed parchments with scandalous texts! Pretty wild stuff, huh? History is always full of surprises.
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