Le Pont de Mirabeau

Crossing point between four departments Côté Sud Luberon Vaucluse, Var, Bouches du Rhone Alpes de Hautes Provence Mirabeau Bridge remains to this day a beautiful building whose history is rich and fascinating. Canteperdrix parade or procession of Mirabeau, is a narrowing of the Durance valley between the towns of Mirabeau (Vaucluse) and Jouques (Bouches-du-Rhône), where the river, which ends around the Luberon, makes its way between steep limestone cliffs. It is a place of old crossing, which resulted in the construction of many works from the fifteenth century. The nearest road crossings of the Durance are up to Pertuis, 18 kilometers downstream, and Manosque, 20 kilometers upstream.Bridge Mirabeau, namesake of the Paris sung by Guillaume Apollinaire, has had a checkered existence. The old Roman road linking Aix-en-Provence Laugh happening in this place. From the first half of the thirteenth century, ferry trays were used.These bins, 19 m by 5 m and 80 cm high, were built of larch wood. The passer used stakes, ropes and cables to move the boat. The first attempt to build a bridge dates from the fifteenth century. Different "Pont Mirabeau" that were built were destroyed totally or in part on four occasions in 1440, 1635, 1843 and 1881 by the Durance unleashed, flow multiplied by one hundred. It was rebuilt each time, because its toll was lucrative. In the nineteenth century, after two unsuccessful bridge projects in 1816 and 1817, Marc Seguin evokes the idea of ​​a suspension bridge in 1825. Jean-François Théophile Sauzet carries a suspension bridge. Delivered in 1831, it has a range of 150 m long and 5.50 m wide. The suspensions are stowed on two huge cranes neo-Romanesque still standing today (listed in the supplementary inventory of historical monuments by the Decree of 6 July 19882) The two old bridges Mirabeau Completed in 1835, it is carried away by the thousand year flood on November 2 18433 and rebuilt in 1845. It is conceded 14 December 1830 to 34 years 10 months to Mr. Sauzet who refused to take only bear the repair costs after the flood of 1843. After trial, he lost his concession was awarded November 20, 1845 to Mr. Chaffard. Restoration rightful 210 000 F and the toll it relates 28,000 francs a year. This bridge was destroyed during the First World War and replaced by a bridge of a single span 175 m long overlooking the Durance to 14 m high and has two reinforced concrete towers 22 meters high. The work was completed in July 1935, a sculpture and bas-relief executed by Antoine Sartorio and symbolize the four neighboring departments. It was said that the bridge Mirabeau (second name) had a foot in each of the four neighboring departments (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and Vaucluse) and each of the pillars illustrated his department by a frieze . Friezes are now joined at the center of the roundabout on the left side of the Durance4. During World War II, the Allies, wanting to delay the retirement of German tanks, made the bomb without success by their aviation for three days. Finally it was the resistance that blew August 17, 1944. The offensive north American units bridges of boats on August 20, just south of the existing bridge. The suspension bridge was rebuilt in 1947.

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