Pont de Mirabeau

From the Pont de Mirabeau, the Mirabeau Bridge, you have a splendid, somewhat distant, view of the Eiffel Tower and the (copy of) the Statue of Liberty (see previous posts).

Le Pont de Mirabeau was named after one of the greatest personalities during the French Revolution, the Comte de Mirabeau (1749-91). The bridge is also clearly linked to another name, the poet Guillaume Appolinaire (1880-1918), who wrote a famous poem, “Sous le Pont Mirabeau coule la Seine…“ (“Under the Mirabeau Bridge runs the Seine…”). The bridge has often been referred to also by other French artists and is somehow a very “romantic bridge”.

The bridge was constructed 1893-96. It links the 16th and the 15th arrdts. It’s a bit further down the Seine than where most tourists go, but it’s one of the most beautiful bridges in Paris. The bridge is decorated with four colossal bronze sculptures.

On what is called the link side of the river (“Rive Gauche”), you have a few of the modest skyscrapers which were allowed to be built in Paris (15th arrdt.). On the “Rive Gauche” side of the bridge, you can find the old station “Javel” which was built for the Exposition Universelle in 1889, to which the Eiffel Tower was erected as an entrance arch. From this station you can still take a local train towards the Eiffel Tower - and further along the Seine – or, in the other direction, towards Versailles. Some of these pictures can also be seen on my photo blog.