Pont Alexandre III
One of the grandest of the 37 bridges that span the Seine in Paris is the impressive and marvelous Pont Alexandre III. Not only does it connect the Champs-Élysées area with the Invalides, but it does it beautifully and it is my second favorite bridge after Bir-Hakeim. On the North side are the Grand & Petit Palais and on the South bank is the Esplanade des Invalides. On both banks, guarding the bridge’s entrances, are four columns with golden statues of winged horses and all along the bridge are Art Nouveau lamps (which look fantastic at night), cherubs, & nymphs.
After the Franco Russian Alliance of 1892 between France and Russia, which was spearheaded by Tsar Alexandre III, the monumentous people of Paris knew they had to cement the friendship in a grand way. That show of peace between the two great peoples is the amazingly beautiful bridge that became known as Pont Alexander III. Future Tsar Nicholas II actually laid the foundation stone in 1896 but it didn’t open until 1900.
