The Pont des Arts or Passerelle des Arts is one of 37 bridges in Paris (France) across the River Seine.
It connects the Malaquais and Conti quays at the Institut de France, in the 6th arrondissement, to the François-Mitterrand quay at the square courtyard of the Louvre palace (which was called the “Palais des Arts” under the Prime Empire), in the 1st arrondissement of Paris.
The Pont des Arts has been listed as a historic monument since March 17, 19751.
This site is served by the Louvre – Rivoli, Pont-Neuf, Mabillon and Saint-Germain-des-Prés metro stations.
Between 1802 and 1804, under the government of Napoleon Bonaparte, a nine-arch metallic bridge for pedestrians was constructed at the location of the present day Pont des Arts: this was the first metal bridge in Paris. The engineers Louis-Alexandre de Cessart and Jacques Dillon initially conceived of a bridge which would resemble a suspended garden, with trees, banks of flowers, and benches.
The present bridge was built between 1981 and 1984 “identically” according to the plans of Louis Arretche, who had decided to reduce the number of arches from nine to seven, allowing the look of the old bridge to be preserved while realigning the new structure with the Pont Neuf. On 27 June 1984, the newly reconstructed bridge was inaugurated by Jacques Chirac, then the mayor of Paris.
The bridge has sometimes served as a place for art exhibitions, and is today a “studio en plein air” for painters, artists and photographers who are drawn to its unique point of view. The Pont des Arts is also frequently a spot for picnics during the summer.
Next upstream: Pont Neuf
Next downstream: Pont du Carrousel
Design: Arch
Material: Steel
Total length: 155 m (509 ft)
Width: 11 m (36 ft)
Construction start 1981
Construction end 1984
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