Pont de Beaugency

Beaugency

The Pont de Beaugency crosses the Loire over 460 m and 23 arches, at the foot of the old town and its Tour César. A bridge has existed here since the 12th century; the present structure is a patchwork of 14th-century ribbed vaults, round arches from the 18th and 19th centuries, and 20th-century reinforced-concrete repairs. Until 1505 it was in fact cut in two by an island, the two sections linked by a wooden drawbridge that was swept away by a flood. For centuries it was one of the few permanent river crossings between Orléans and Blois, which explains both its strategic value and the fascination it held. Local tradition makes it a 'devil's bridge': the devil is said to have built it in a single night in exchange for the soul of the first creature to cross it, and the villagers are said to have thrown a cat across to outwit him. The writer James Joyce set down this version in a letter to his grandson, later published as a tale under the title The Cat and the Devil, which gave the Beaugency legend an international audience. The motif of the thwarted diabolical pact is a European classic: above all, it reflects the disbelief of local people faced with a structure judged too bold for human hands.

Wikipédia — Pont de Beaugency ↗

Getting there : Beaugency is 25 km south-west of Orléans via the D2152, with a station on the Orléans–Blois line about ten minutes' walk from the river. The bridge is open to traffic and can be crossed on foot along the pavement; the finest views are from the right-bank quays, at the foot of the Tour César, or from the left bank on the Lailly-en-Val side. The coordinates point to the middle of the structure, to within about a hundred metres. Night-time lighting picks out the arches against the Loire. The site lies within the Val de Loire area listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

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