Pont de Recouvrance
Encyclopedia
The pont de Recouvrance is a vertical-lift bridge in Brest
, France
, across the river Penfeld
. Opened on 17 July 1954, it was the largest vertical-lift bridge in Europe until the opening of the Pont Gustave-Flaubert
in 2008. It links the bottom of the rue de Siam
to the quartier de Recouvrance
, replacing a swing bridge
(the pont National
) destroyed by Allied bombardment in 1944.
Each pylon is 70m high and the 525-tonne moving cradle is 88m long.
The bridge was crossed by trolleybus
es from its opening in 1954 until the closure of the Brest trolleybus system, in 1970.
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, across the river Penfeld
Penfeld
The Penfeld, Penfell in Breton, is a 16 km-long French coastal river. On its left bank has grown up the town of Brest in Finistère.-Course:...
. Opened on 17 July 1954, it was the largest vertical-lift bridge in Europe until the opening of the Pont Gustave-Flaubert
Pont Gustave-Flaubert
The Pont Gustave-Flaubert is a vertical lift bridge over the River Seine at Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France...
in 2008. It links the bottom of the rue de Siam
Rue de Siam
The Rue de Siam is the main arterial street of Brest. Its name comes from the arrival of three ambassadors led by Kosa Pan, sent by the King of Siam on the 29th of June 1686 to meet Louis XIV in Versailles. They went with six mandarins, three translators, two secretaries and a retinue of servants,...
to the quartier de Recouvrance
Recouvrance, Brest
Recouvrance is the section of the city of Brest, France which lies on the right bank of the river Penfeld. It is a popularly and historically Breton quarter, in contrast to the largely Francophone quarter of Brest-même or Brest-proper on the left bank....
, replacing a swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
(the pont National
Pont National (Brest)
The Pont National was a swing bridge across the river Penfeld in Brest, France. It opened in 1861, linking rue de Siam to Recouvrance, near the Tour Tanguy. It was destroyed by Allied bombardment in 1944 and replaced by the Pont de Recouvrance in the 1950s....
) destroyed by Allied bombardment in 1944.
Each pylon is 70m high and the 525-tonne moving cradle is 88m long.
The bridge was crossed by trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es from its opening in 1954 until the closure of the Brest trolleybus system, in 1970.