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Origin and history

The Saint-Thomas Bridge, located in the Finkwiller district of Strasbourg, is a metal arch work built in 1841. It crossed Ill and was made by the brothers of Dietrich de Reichshoffen, under the direction of Nicolas Cadiat, according to the plans of the engineer Antoine-Rémy Polonceau. The latter, known for having designed the Carrousel Bridge in Paris in the 1830s, applied his patented system in 1835. The Saint-Thomas Bridge is one of the only two metal bridges that existed in France before 1850, and one of the oldest cast iron bridges in the country.

The history of the bridge goes back much further, with a first mention of a Saint Thomas Bridge (Sankt-Thomasbrücke) from 1197. After the Revolution, it was renamed "bridge of the Republic" in 1794, before returning to its original name in 1813. Reconstructed in 1841, he temporarily took a German name during the two world wars, before finally regaining his French name in 1918 and 1945. Ranked a historic monument in 1995, it remains a major testimony of Strasbourg's urban and industrial history.

Architecturally, the bridge is distinguished by its only cast iron arch, composed of four hollow arches resting on masonry abutments. These arcs, composed of bolted half-cylinders, allow a structure that is both light and resistant. The removal of batteries also allowed the bed to be narrowed in this area. The bridge is located on the Martin-Luther Street axis and connects the Finkwiller and Charles-Frey wharfs, playing a central role in the traffic of the neighbourhood.

The St. Thomas Bridge is also a symbol of 19th century technical innovations. Its Polonceau system, used for the first time in Paris with the Carrousel bridge (demoli in 1935), marks an advance in metal construction. Even today, it is used daily and bears witness to the durability of the cast iron works of that time.

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