Pont Neuf: station history
Served by: metro line 7.
Did you know?
A line 7 station in the 1st arrondissement, under rue du Pont-Neuf, near the Seine, between Châtelet and Pyramides. It has the subtitle « La Monnaie », because of the proximity of the Hôtel de la Monnaie de Paris (the Paris Mint), on the other side of the river. Its name is that of the bridge, the oldest in the capital, which spans both arms of the Seine at the tip of the Île de la Cité.
Anecdote
Its decor is devoted to the history of money: giant reproductions of coins, a coin press and two display cases, inaugurated on 11 December 1989, with the striking of a commemorative token by the Monnaie de Paris. The station was also one of the first to test the orange Andreu-Motte style, in 1974, with Ledru-Rollin and Voltaire, and it served as a model for the orange stations of the network.
Audio guide
The Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris
On May 31, 1578, Henry III laid the first stone, but the Wars of Religion stopped the construction for about ten years. In 1599, Henry IV revived it and chose a bridge without houses, which was rare at the time. In 1607, he inaugurated it by crossing it on a white horse. 🐴 His equestrian statue stands today in the middle of the bridge: it is the "Vert Galant".
In the 18th century, the bridge became the centre of Parisian life, between commerce and petty thieves. Tsar Peter the Great sees nothing more curious in Paris. Franklin writes that he understood the Parisians only by crossing it!
Look closely at its 12 arches: 381 mascarons, grotesque faces supposed to chase away evil spirits, grimace at it. Some bite barbers, dentists or pickpockets! 👀
The bridge is also a scene of artists: a giant Trojan horse in 1963, flowers signed Kenzo in 1994, and especially from September 22 to October 5, 1985, Christo wraps it in a beige canvas, leaving only the pavement free. Forty years later, the square in the center of the bridge was renamed "Place du Pont Neuf – Christo et Jeanne-Claude".
Around Pont Neuf
- Les Amants du Pont-Neuf, 50 m away — In Leos Carax's 1991 film, Juliette Binoche and Denis Lavant fall in love on the bridge during the 1989 Bicentennial. Unable to close it for three months, the crew built a replica at Lansargues, in the Hérault.
- Statue équestre d'Henri IV, 80 m away — In the middle of the Pont Neuf, Lemot's statue was inaugurated on 25 August 1818. It replaced the 1614 statue, torn down during the Revolution, and its horse holds parchments and medals now kept in the Archives nationales. Listed in 1992.
- Bibliothèque Mazarine, 280 m away — Founded by Cardinal Mazarin and housed in the Institut de France palace on quai de Conti, it is described as the oldest public library in France. It holds 2,370 incunabula and a celestial globe from 1694.
- Pont Neuf, 50 m away — Despite its name meaning "New Bridge", it's the oldest standing bridge in Paris: construction began in 1578, spurred on by King Henri IV.
- Place Dauphine, 250 m away — A triangular square commissioned by Henri IV in 1607, the second royal square of Paris, lined with brick-and-stone houses at the entrance to the Pont Neuf.
- Square du Vert-Galant, 160 m away — A small garden at the tip of Île de la Cité, offering one of the most romantic views over the Seine.
- La Samaritaine, 180 m away — A historic Art Nouveau and Art Deco department store, restored and reopened after fifteen years of closure.
- Île de la Cité, 600 m away — The birthplace island of Paris, home to Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, the historic heart of the capital.