Pont de Grenelle
The Pont de Grenelle-Cadets de Saumur, formerly known as Pont de Grenelle (English: Grenelle Bridge. "Cadets de Saumur" is the name of the students of the Cavalry School) is a bridge that crosses the Seine River in Paris, France. It connects the city's 15th and 16th arrondissements, and passes through the Île aux Cygnes. Constructed of steel, it is a girder bridge. The current bridge was constructed in 1966, replacing an earlier bridge that had stood since 1873. The bridge passes behind a replica of the Statue of Liberty.
Pont de Grenelle | |
|---|---|
 The pont de Grenelle is the second bridge from the top, passing through the southern tip of the Île aux Cygnes. | |
| Coordinates | 48°51′N 2°17′E |
| Crosses | The Seine River |
| Locale | Paris, France |
| Next upstream | Pont Rouelle |
| Next downstream | Pont Mirabeau |
| Location | |
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Origin of the name
The name Grenelle Bridge comes from the name of the Grenelle plain that was accessible through this bridge. Grenelle was a town in the Seine department in 1830, before it became a part of Paris's 15th arrondissement in 1860.
On 18 June 2016, the bridge was renamed « pont de Grenelle-Cadets-de-Saumur » to honor the students of the Cavalry School who defended the Loire region in the Battle of Saumur that took place in June 1940.[1]
References
- "Paris : désormais, appelez-le pont de Grenelle-Cadets-de-Saumur" [Paris: Call It Now "Pont de Grenelle-Cadets-de-Saumur"]. leparisien.fr (in French). 2016-06-19. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
On May 18, 1940 and the days following General de Gaulle's call to resistance, 790 students from the Cavalry School fought next to the French Army against the German forces south of the Loire. The Grenelle Bridge was renamed pont de Grenelle-Cadets-de-Saumur to honor these heroes, following the will of mayor of the 15th arrondissement Philippe Goujon for the Cavalry School. (personal translation)