Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge still standing across the Seine in Paris.
Despite its name, which means “New Bridge,” construction began in 1578 during the reign of Henry III and the bridge was completed in 1607 under Henry IV. It was considered modern for its time because it had wide sidewalks, no houses built along it, and viewpoints over the river.
Pont Neuf consists of two sections meeting at the western end of the Île de la Cité. Its distinctive semicircular stone arches and projecting triangular refuges became characteristic features of Parisian bridge design.
The bridge should not be confused with Paris’s Pont Alexandre III, which is a much later Beaux-Arts landmark, or the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge. Pont Neuf’s name refers to its historic novelty, not to its current age.