Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France, as seen from Quai des Orfèvres.

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This image shows Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France, as seen from Quai des Orfèvres. Its name, which was given to distinguish it from older bridges that were lined on both sides with houses, has remained after all of those were replaced. It stands by the western (downstream) point of the Île de la Cité, the island in the middle of the river that was the heart of medieval Paris. The bridge is composed of two separate spans, one of five arches joining the left bank to the Île de la Cité, another of seven joining the island to the right bank. Old engraved maps of Paris show how, when the bridge was built, it just grazed the downstream tip of the Île de la Cité; since then, the natural sandbar building of a mid-river island, aided by stone-faced embankments called quais, has extended the island. Today the tip of the island is the location of the Square du Vert-Galant, a park named in honour of Henry IV, nicknamed the "Green Gallant".

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Size: 5184px × 3456px
Location: Quai des Orfèvres, Paris, France.
Photo credit: © Stuart Robertson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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