Pont Neuf is paradoxically the oldest surviving bridge in Paris. Its late sixteenth-century design introduced stone construction without houses on the bridge, leaving it open as a public route and viewpoint over the Seine.
Quick facts
Henri III laid Pont Neuf’s first stone on 31 May 1578.
Pont Neuf was designed without permanent houses on its deck, unlike earlier Paris bridges lined with buildings.
The bridge crosses the western tip of Île de la Cité and joins the two riverbanks.
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Pont Neuf means “New Bridge,” yet this is Paris’s oldest surviving bridge. Its name preserves the sense of novelty it brought to the city. In a capital where earlier bridges carried houses and shops, this crossing was built in stone without permanent houses on its deck. It left the river visible and made room for a broad public route.
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