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Sights of the Seine

Ile de la Cité on the Seine is the birthplace of the French nation. In 300 BC, there was a people on the island called the Paris West. Hence the name of the city of Paris. In 508 AD, the Frankish Colovich settled in Paris and established the Merovingian Dynasty. Since then, Xidai Island has become the center of kingship and religion in the feudal era. The most famous religious building on the island is the “Notre Dame Cathedral”, completed in 1245.

It is considered the first Gothic building. The church can hold 9,000 people and has always been a center for religious activities. Paris City Hall is located on the right bank of the Seine River. It is also known as the symbol of the French Revolution and freedom, along with Place de la Bastille above the Seine and Place de la Concorde not far below the river. On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris destroyed the Bastille, and the bourgeois revolution broke out.

On both sides of the Seine, plane trees are planted. Behind the woods, is the solemn building complex. The large and small palaces on the north bank of the river, the university district on the south bank of the river, the Eiffel Tower on the west side of the river, and the Notre Dame de Paris on the island in the eastern section of the river, etc., all show their common architectural forms with distinctive architectural forms. Gorgeous style.

At a turn of the cruise ship, on the terrain like a peninsula, there stands a Statue of Liberty holding a torch. The one in Paris is noticeably smaller than the one in New York. There is a sluice somewhere on the river, and the sluices are huge iron gates, which are still manually operated.

However, on the river not far from such ancient equipment, there is a ship-shaped restaurant converted from a luxury yacht moored. Diners in the cabin can enjoy the scenery of the river and the other side while dining, and people on cruise ships can also watch the river. While watching the people dining.

It is said that there are 36 bridges on the Seine River, each of which has its own characteristics, and the most magnificent and splendid bridge is the Alexander III Bridge. With its unique steel arch, the bridge connects the Champs-Elysées and the Place des Invalides. The bridge was built to celebrate the alliance between Russia and France. At that time, around 1900, Russia and France were still feuding a hundred years ago. Napoleon once attacked Russia and caused Moscow to be engulfed in flames.

100 years later, the two countries will laugh at their enmity, and will lead the bridge to Napoleon’s tomb. The gilded statues on the four bridge head pillars at both ends of the bridge are supported by the winged little goddess of love, and their gorgeous shapes and colors are particularly conspicuous in Paris.

There are three of the oldest bridges in Paris: Pont Marie, Pont des Kings and Pont Neuf. These three bridges were built before the 17th century, more than 300 years ago.

Mary Bridge

Mary Bridge was built in the era of Louis XIII in the early 17th century. The name of the bridge comes from the architect, Mary, who built the bridge. He carved holes in each pier. South of the bridge is the Isle of Saint-Louis. The houses on the island look as old as the bridge. The buildings have already tilted. The walls of the studio of Camille Clottey, a female disciple of the famous sculptor Rodin, have fallen off, and cracks can be vaguely seen.

Wangqiao

The King Bridge was built in the era of Louis XIV. In the late 17th century, Louis XIV built the bridge at his own expense, and later became a place where Parisians held celebrations. Historically, the wedding ceremony of Princess Elizabeth of France and Prince Philip of Spain was centered on this bridge, which attracted half a million people to watch at the time. Its south bank is the building where the thinker Voltaire worked. He died in this small building on May 30, 1778. Next to it is the place where the writer Anadol France wrote for 10 years.

New bridge

Xinqiao is the most famous bridge, it is called Xinqiao, which is actually the oldest. Started by Henry III in 1578, the project was interrupted by the civil war, and it was completed in 1606 in the era of Henry IV. At 238 meters long and 20 meters wide, the bridge is the longest bridge over the Seine in Paris. The bridge has 12 arches, each of which is shaped with the head of a strong man.

The new bridge spans the island of Xidai, and the island under the bridge stretches out to the Seine like a sharp knife, splitting the river in two. Two centuries after the completion of the Pont Neuf, it has been the commercial center of Paris. The bridge is bustling with booksellers, self-performed artists, itinerant vendors, and even tooth-pullers.

To this day, the new bridge still inspires the artist’s creative passion. Walking across the bridge, I saw that there are semi-circular stone chairs on the sidewalks on both sides of the bridge. The chairs are uneven, recording the vicissitudes of the years. The oldest bridge in Paris is called Pont Neuf, which is nearly 400 years old.

Pont des Arts on the Seine

Not far from the new bridge, is a metal-based art bridge built for pedestrians. Flowers and trees are planted on the bridge, and the works of artist Francis Garzo are erected on the bridge railings, known as the Garden on the Seine. Standing on the Art Bridge, I saw the Louvre Museum in the north of the bridge, the French Academy in the south, the Grand Court in the east of the bridge, where Queen Louis XVI was once imprisoned, and the Wang Bridge in the west. There are often photographers or painters looking for inspiration on the bridge, and there is no shortage of artists’ works on display on the bridge.

In May 2010, the city government of Paris, France, decided that in order to protect the Pont des Arts across the Seine, it would remove all kinds of padlocks that tourists from all over the world hang on the bridge. Paris, France is known as the capital of romance. Many couples who have been here hang padlocks engraved with their names on the Art Bridge to express their lasting love for their lovers. Therefore, the decision of the Paris city government to remove the locks also attracted the dissatisfaction of some couples.

Charles de Gaulle bridge

The most criticized is the Charles de Gaulle Bridge, completed in 1996. It looks like a Disneyland monorail, and the bridge cost 240 million francs, 10 times the budget. Importantly, the original intention of building the bridge was to improve the congested traffic conditions near the Austerlitz railway station. However, since its opening in August 1996, the traffic jam has not improved, but the vehicles on the bridge are sparse, and not many vehicles pass even during peak hours. . Spending so much taxpayer money with no practical value, the French say they throw money in the water.