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By Roberto Ferrari – Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about the Pont du Gard

The Pont du Gard is a popular landmark in the south of France. Famous people that have visited the bridge and had nothing but praise for its majestic look.

One such person was the novelist Henry James. He visited the bridge in 1884 and was similarly impressed.

James described the Pont du Gard as being 鈥渦nspeakably imposing, and nothing could well be more Roman鈥�.

Pont du Gard sits above Gardon River and is an excellent representation of the Roman architecture.

The bridge is 50 kilometres long and is made up of three levels. This bridge was used by the Romans to supply water to the city of Nimes.

This bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved historic sites in France.

To know more about this extraordinary bridge, I have put together the top 10 facts about it. Check them out below.

1. It provided water to the Roman city of Nimes

The water tank at Nimes photo by Wikimedia

The Romans are known for their innovative engineering skills. They built several aqueducts that provided water for their cities.

Nothing stopped them, be it hills or far off rivers, they devised ways to get water.

Pont de Gard was one of the aqueducts that were built to bring fresh water to the city of Nimes.

It was part of a 50-kilometre aqueduct that supplied water to the city.

This aqueduct was built in the first century and is one of the highest bridges and still is best preserved.

It was both underground and above the ground, it goes to show the Genuity of Roman鈥檚 engineering.

The aqueduct supplied an estimated 40,000 m3 of water a day to the fountains, baths and homes of the citizens of N卯mes.

2. Pont du Gard was used as a toll bridge

The Roman Empire collapsed in the 15^th century, and so did the aqueduct. Historians believe that its last use was in the 6^th century.

Although its primary purpose was to supply water, its secondary use was to serve as a toll bridge.

This second function of Pont de Gard ensured its survival through time.

The local lords and bishops were responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the bridge. they, therefore, charged a levy for travellers crossing the bridge.

Looting of the bridge鈥檚 stone blocks in the 17^th caused bad damage to it.

Maintenance of the bridge became difficult too because of the constant looting and invasions.

3. The bridge has undergone several renovations

Starting from the 4th century the maintenance of Pont du Gard was neglected due to invasions in the region.

The aqueduct was clogged with silt, plant roots and debris after some time and this reduced the flow of water.

Renovations of Pont du Gard started later between the 18^th and 21^st centuries. The local French authorities commissioned the Bishops and lords to take care of the bridge.

They repaired cracks, filled-in the ruts and replaced stones on the bridge in 1703.

Later in 1850 Napoleon III who was fascinated by the Roman architecture, commissioned Charles Laisne to repair Pont du Gard.

The renovation works happened between 1855 and 1858 with the ministry of state funding it.

4. A new bridge was built under the lower level in 1743

By Andrea Schaffer – Wikimedia

Between 1743 to 1747, a new bridge was built on the lower arches of Pont du Gard.

The engineer in-charge was Henri Pitot who designed it to allow vehicles to use a bridge purposefully built for them.

This new development did not go unopposed. Alexandre Dumas strongly criticized it.

He said the new bridge would dishonour the monument that stood the test of time.

The bridge had faced its toughest time when it was used to transport armaments during the war in the 1620s.

Visitors to Pont du Gard use Pitot鈥檚 bridge to move through.

5. Pont du Gard is one of the highest Roman aqueduct bridges

This aqueduct has three tiers of arches; the lower 6 arches are 72 feet tall, the middle arches 66 feet tall while the upper arches are 23 feet tall.

The bottom of the bridge is 30 feet wide while the top is 10 feet wide. It is 899 feet long and stands at a height of 160 feet.

This makes Pont du Gard the highest Roman aqueduct bridge.

6. No mortar was used to build Pont de Gard

By Thierry – Wikimedia

The Pont du Gard was constructed without the use of mortar. There are about 50,400 tons of limestone with a volume of some 21,000 m3.

Most of the stones used in the construction were mined from a local quarry in Estel 700 metres away from the banks of Gardon river.

The limestone locally known as Pierre de Vers was the most preferred stone for construction in those days.

They were soft and coarse-grained therefore made it easy to cut and fit together.

The Romans used friction and gravity to stick them hence did not need mortar.

There are inscriptions on the block of stones with messages and instruction on how to use them.

Many of them have numbers and the location like the front right to guide the builder.

7. Skilled labourers built the bridge

A large team of contractors and skilled labourers were tasked with the construction of Pont du Gard.

Some surveyors planned the route of the aqueduct, they used agroma for sighting and a set of measuring poles.

The figures were recorded on wax tablets and this guided them in knowing the right size of blocks to be used.

These large human-powered treadmills were used to carry the large blocks, these treadmills were still in use in Provence at the beginning of the 20^th century.

A complicated scaffold was built to support the bridge during construction.

8. The interiors of Pont du Gard are smooth

By 脡douard BERG脡 – Wikimedia

The exterior of Pont du Gard may appear rough and may be incomplete.

Well, the builders put much attention elsewhere, they ensured that the interior where the water passed was smooth to allow free flow of water.

The interior walls were constructed using stucco and tiny shards of pottery and tile. They also painted it using olive oil then covered it with maltha.

This mixture ensured that the walls were smooth and durable.

9.聽 Pont du Gard is an example of the Roman鈥檚 sophisticated engineering

By Benh LIEU SONG – Wikimedia

This 3-tiered bridge is a true demonstration of how sophisticated the Roman architecture and engineering was in ancient times.

The construction work crossed all the Ts and dot the Is a testament of precision, knowledge and skill of the architects.

They, Roman engineers, had to apply immense precision to make the water flow by the force of gravity to N卯mes.

Therefore, Pont du Gard is regarded as an artistic and technical masterpiece of Roman architecture and engineering.

10. The bridge has been a tourist attraction for centuries

The Pont du Gard has been a tourist attraction for centuries especially from the 18th century onwards.

More tourists visited the landmark after the construction of the new bridge. It became famous as an important historical monument and a representation of French national pride.

Pont du Gard is today one of France’s top five tourist attractions, with 1.4 million visitors reported in 2001.

To learn more about the bridge visit the Pont du Gard museum on the western bank. It is an underground museum on the Pont du Gard鈥檚 left bank. There is a lot of fun and educational facts on the history of the aqueduct.