Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The bridge over the Doubs de Navilly is a road bridge built between 1785 and 1790 under the direction of Émiland Gauthey, chief engineer of the province of Burgundy. This flat bridge, innovative for the time, is distinguished by its arches in basket coves evaporated by caissons, designed to combine lightness and economy. The stones come from a local quarry, and the batteries, shaped in the shape of a bow and ship stern, testify to a bold engineering. The fore-beeks are surmounted by half-pyramides, while the sterns have oval medallions surrounded by vegetal garlands.

At the end of World War II, in 1944, three arches of the bridge were destroyed by the Germans. They were restored in the same way between 1947 and 1948 by the company Pérol de Lyon. During this restoration, the "gargoyles" of the damaged arches were carved by two young artists from Buxy, Robert Rigot and Ivan Avoscan, who later became renowned sculptors. These decorative elements, such as reeds and jars, allow rainwater to flow.

Ranked a historic monument on December 31, 1946, the bridge extends 156 metres long and 9.80 metres wide, with five arches supported by oval piles on stilts. Its architecture combines utility and aesthetics, with details such as the cut stone terminals kept at the north end. The book illustrates the technical ingenuity of the eighteenth century and the resilience to the destructions of the twentieth century.

The choice of materials reflects a visual diversity: a large bossing device highlights the structure of arches and batteries, while a small pink limestone apparatus adorns the scabs. This contrast reinforces the singularity of the bridge, which remains a major testimony of Burgundy heritage and a symbol of post-war reconstruction.

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