Paris‘s oldest bridge, the Pont-Neuf, is also its most famous. Built to facilitate the king’s journey between the Louvre Museum Palace and the abbey of St-Germain-des-Prés, its innovative, houseless design was controversial. Flamboyant as ever, Henri IV inaugurated it in 1607 by galloping across on his charger; and today his equestrian statue still dominates the stretch. For years this was the site of a permanent funfair, attracting jugglers, acrobats, and street sellers, painted by Turner, the Pont-Neuf was also ceremoniously wrapped up by the artist Christo in 1985.
