The famous broken bridge in Avignon
In fact, the bridge does not connect the left bank to the right bank of the Rhône River, but first reaches Barthelasse Island. Then, continue in a straight line across the island, crossing a branch of the river to reach Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, a city at that time under the rule of the King of France. At that time, Avignon was under the rule of the Catholic Church.
The bridge is not straight but slightly curved in the middle. The reason? Thanks to that, it was able to span the strong current of the Rhône River, reducing the pressure on the bridge’s pillars. In total, the bridge is nearly a kilometer long with 22 spans, as mentioned, but only four spans remain.
Those spans, due to having to withstand floods, gradually collapsed. Of course, efforts were made to rebuild it, but they were unsuccessful. Partly because the flow of the Rhône was too fierce, the bridge could only be repaired for a while before breaking again; partly due to limited funding, as rebuilding the bridge was too expensive.
According to a legend, the Rhône River is considered a god who occasionally gets angry. In 1856, the god’s fury was so intense that it destroyed part of many fortifications on both banks of the river, from Porte Saint Roch to Porte Saint Dominique. Even when the river began to be controlled in the early 20th century, floods continued to occur in Avignon. The most severe recent flood was in 2003.
In the 17th century, the Avignon authorities decided not to spend money on rebuilding the bridge anymore. Also because it no longer met traffic standards due to its narrowness. The bridge was left unfinished, with only four spans remaining, extending over the river.
But there’s no way these four remaining arches will collapse! They have always been carefully maintained by successive administrations in Avignon.
And surely anyone who learned French as a child knows the song related to this bridge: Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse, on y danse tout en rond… (On the Avignon bridge, people dance, they dance in a circle…).
Nowadays, there isn’t much information about the song except that it appeared in the 15th century, becoming a classic among children’s songs – a kind of nursery rhyme. It “narrates” what happens every weekend here: a cheerful, carefree life.
Back then, the people of Avignon often gathered on Barthelasse Island to relax. And at the foot of the bridge on the island, not on the bridge. Surely the songwriter “altered” the truth to make it more interesting!
Nowadays, the locals still visit the broken bridge; of course, tourists do too.
