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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Normandie
  4. Seine-Maritime
  5. 76200 Dieppe

  6. Colbert Bridge

Colbert Bridge à Dieppe en Seine-Maritime

Seine-Maritime

Colbert Bridge

    8 Quai de la Somme
    76200 Dieppe
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Pont Colbert
Crédit photo : François Calvaresi - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1880
Port Enlargement Act
1er janvier 1889
Commissioning of the bridge
1925
Official Baptism *Pont Colbert*
1944
Dynamitage by the German Army
février 2017
Registration for historical monuments
2 novembre 2020
Classification of historical monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

In total, the Colbert Bridge with all its machinery, the ground of the parts of the wharf on which it is located and necessary for its movement, the manoeuvring cabin and the machinery building, located at the Quai de la Somme, on the public domain not cadastral sections AR and AO, and, for the machinery building, on the parcel section AO No 192, as delimited and hatched in red on the plan annexed to the decree: classification by order of November 2, 2020

Key figures

Paul Alexandre - Chief Engineer of Bridges and Chaussées Designer of the Colbert Bridge in 1888.
Charles de Freycinet - Minister of Public Works Initiator of the port modernization plan (1878).
Jean-Baptiste Colbert - Comptroller General of Finance under Louis XIV Enlarged the port of Dieppe in 1672.
Alexandre Anquetin - Mayor of Dieppe (1880s) Voter for the bridge in 1883.

Origin and history

The Colbert Bridge is a padded and rolled iron rotating bridge built at the end of the 19th century in the harbour of Dieppe. Launched in 1889, it is the last large rotating bridge in Europe to operate in its original configuration. It was listed as a historic monument in 2017, and was classified in 2020, thanks to its original hydraulic mechanism and heritage importance.

The project was born in the 1880s as part of the Freycinet plan, aimed at modernizing French ports. Dieppe, a priority, sees its Pollet district cut in half by a new channel 40 meters wide. In 1883, the municipality voted to build a rotating bridge to restore the link between the two banks. Designed by engineer Paul Alexandre, it was assembled in four months in 1888 by the company of iron bridges and works, with a mechanism designed by Fives-Lille Cail.

Inaugurated in 1889, the bridge briefly broke the world record (70.5 metres) before being overtaken by the Pont d'Arenc in Marseille. Originally nicknamed "Grand Pont" or "Pont qui tourne", it was officially named Colbert Bridge in 1925, in tribute to Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who had enlarged the port of Dieppe in the 17th century. Dynamity in 1944 by the German army, it was rebuilt in the same post-war era and returned to service in 1946.

Upgraded several times (electrification in 1929, addition of sidewalks in 1938, replacement of the platform in 1980), the bridge was the object of a battle for its preservation in the 21st century. Threatened by demolition in 2009, it is saved thanks to a citizen mobilization and its ranking in 2020. A complete renovation is planned between 2024 and 2025, including the automation of its hydraulic mechanism, always operated by channel water.

The Colbert Bridge, with an initial mass of 810 tonnes, operates thanks to a hydraulic system using water from the harbour. Two cylinders actuate a chain of 200 meshes around a pivot, allowing a rotation in 2 to 3 minutes. To avoid winter frost, forms filled with horse manure and braseros were traditionally used – a practice that will disappear after 2025. A symbol of industrial heritage, it remains a key element of the Dieppois port landscape.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum