Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The old Limay bridge, linking Limay to the Île aux Dames sur la Seine, is one of the oldest bridges in France still visible. Mentioned for the first time in a charter of 1050, it was almost completely destroyed in 1162 before being rebuilt in 1172. The ogival arch of the 12th century, the only trace of this time, bears witness to its medieval architecture. Originally it had eleven arches and was part of a set of 37 arches linking Mantes-la-Jolie to Limay in three sections, including a bridge to Champion Island and a marshy area.

Partly destroyed in 1940 by the French military genius to slow the German advance, two of its central arches were never rebuilt. The bridge, classified as a historic monument since 1923, was also an economic place with mills and fisheries, now missing. Immortalized by Camille Corot in Le Pont de Mantes (1868, Musée du Louvre), he was also the setting of the penultimate scene of François Truffaut's film Jules and Jim.

The property of the bridge, disputed between Limay and Mantes-la-Jolie, was awarded to the latter in 1923. Forbidden by traffic since 1897, it was the subject of restoration attempts, notably in 2012 with an aborted bridge project. In 2019, a first rehabilitation phase was inaugurated, but the work on the old bridge itself, planned for 2024-2026, aims to restore its structure without re-establishing car traffic.

An ancient mill, destroyed in 1870 by a flood, was the subject of archaeological excavations in 2017. Divers studied its oak stilts to date its construction. The bridge, symbol of the local heritage, remains a major vestige of the river and medieval history of the region, despite the challenges of its preservation.

Future

He was immortalized by painter Jean-Baptiste Corot in several paintings, one of which, entitled Le Pont de Mantes (1868), is preserved at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

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