Pont de la Concorde (Paris)

The Pont de la Concorde is an arch bridge across the Seine in Paris connecting the Quai des Tuileries at the Place de la Concorde (on the Rive Droite) and the Quai d'Orsay (on the Rive Gauche).

Construction continued in the midst of the turmoil of the French Revolution, using the dimension stones taken from the demolished Bastille (taken by force on 14 July 1789) for its masonry.

On the Bourbon Restoration these were replaced with twelve monumental marble statues, including four of the "grands ministres" (Suger, Sully, Richelieu, Colbert), four royal generals (Du Guesclin, Bayard, Condé, Turenne) and four sailors (Duguay-Trouin, Duquesne, Suffren, Tourville).

However, this collection of statues proved too heavy for the bridge, and Louis-Philippe I had them removed and transferred to Versailles.

Today, this bridge bears the brunt of Paris's road traffic (except for those of the Boulevard Périphérique).

Location on the Seine
The bridge in 1829, with the 12 statues