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Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France
A bridge to history
Of the 37 bridges that cross the Seine in Paris, the Pont Alexandre III might be the most decadently designed. Elements of Beaux-Arts and Art Nouveau styles harmonise here into an intricate work of art, its sculptures speckled with delicate gilding. It was named for Tsar Alexander III of Russia, who forged a historic alliance with France, and whose ill-fated son Nicholas II laid the span's cornerstone in 1896. At right, the legacy of another doomed emperor looms – the dome of Les Invalides, which caps the atrium housing Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb.
A bridge to history
Of the 37 bridges that cross the Seine in Paris, the Pont Alexandre III might be the most decadently designed. Elements of Beaux-Arts and Art Nouveau styles harmonise here into an intricate work of art, its sculptures speckled with delicate gilding. It was named for Tsar Alexander III of Russia, who forged a historic alliance with France, and whose ill-fated son Nicholas II laid the span's cornerstone in 1896. At right, the legacy of another doomed emperor looms – the dome of Les Invalides, which caps the atrium housing Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb.
One of Paris' most famous bridges is named for an emperor of Russia.
© Sizun Eye / Moment / Getty Images 2026-09-11 08:45:51 :