Placed in downstream of the Pont Neuf, very close to it, the Pont des Arts is a pedestrian bridge which crosses the Seine River and links the Institut de France and the central square of the Palais du Louvre, named Palais des Arts under the First Empire, which can be seen on the postcard in background, in the right. On the location of the present day bridge was built between 1802 and 1804 the first metal bridge in Paris, initially conceived by the engineers Louis-Alexandre de Cessart and Jacques Dillon to resemble a suspended garden, with trees and banks of flowers. In 1977 it was closed to circulation, because it was weakened by bombardments sustained during WWI and WWII, and by the collisions caused by boats.
The present bridge was built between 1981 and 1984 according to the plans of Louis Arretche, who had decided to reduce the number of arches from nine to seven. In nowadays is a studio en plein air for painters, artists and photographers, and sometimes serves as a place for art exhibitions. Moreover, in recent years many tourist couples attached padlocks to the railing or the grate on the side of the bridge, to symbolize their everlasting love. The bridge is within the area named Paris, Banks of the Seine, an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.
Pont des Arts is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Paris, Banks of the Seine, about which I wrote here.
About the stamp, the blue Marianne et l'Europe,I wrote here.
References
Pont des Arts - Wikipedia
Sender: Marius Vasilescu
Sent from Paris (Île-de-France / France), on 31.05.2012
Photo: Peet Simard
Postcsrd written on my birthday :)
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