Sunday, November 20, 2016

Viaduc d'Austerlitz

Viaduc d'Austerlitz, Austerlitz Viaduct, Paris

Viaduc d'Austerlitz (Austerlitz Viaduct), 1904
Quai de la Rapée / Quai d'Austerlitz
Quartier de la Salpêtrière, 13th arrondissement
Paris, July 2006

“Due to restrictions posed by navigational traffic, it was implausible to place a pier in the middle of the river. Therefore, in 1903, engineer Louis Biette, with the help of Fulgence Bienvenüe, conceptualized a metallic bridge that crossed the river in a single span. It was designed by the architect Jean-Camille Formigé, who also designed the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, the greenhouses of Auteiul, and the park below the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur, and restored the Roman amphitheater in Arles and the Roman theater in Orange. .[1] Formigé decorated the steel arcs with marine-themed reliefs, including dolphins, seashells and seaweeds. Parts of the steel footings are etched with figures of the Parisian Coat of Arms, which symbolizes steadfastness.” (Viaduc d'Austerlitz, Wikipedia)