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Origin and history

The Old Bridge of Orthez, located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, is a fortified bridge built in the 13th and 14th centuries. It spans the gave of Pau and served as a link between the city centre of Orthez and its suburbs of the Departure, on a vicomtal road leading to Roncevaux. Its construction is attributed to Gaston VII de Béarn, who made it the capital of the Béarn and installed its courtyard there. A coin of 1274 shows a single span bridge flanked by two towers, probably completed by a wooden apron.

The current state of the bridge, with its four laying spans, could date from the time of Gaston Fébus, due to its resemblance to the Valentré Bridge of Cahors. By 1589, only one tower remained, its upper part having disappeared. The bridge resisted two major assaults: in 1569, during the Battle of Orthez, where priests were cast into the gave by Huguenots, and in 1814, during the battle between Wellington and Napoleon's troops.

The assault of 1814 caused the destruction of the parapets, rebuilt by widening the bridge to 3.80 m wide. Originally equipped with two towers, it now retains a fortified central tower, restored in 1873 according to its original arrangements, with a modern crenelage and roof. The bridge, classified as a historical monument in 1875 and 1942, is 46 m long, with a large span of 14.87 m and adjacent arches of 7.10 m and 7.65 m.

The central tower, whose coronation was rebuilt around 1865, bears witness to the transformations of the monument. The bridge, the property of the commune of Orthez, remains a symbol of the historical resistance and medieval architecture of Bearnaise, marked by military events and successive restorations.

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