Pont Vieux in Albi

There was an old bridge near the Berbie Palace. This old bridge or Pont Vieux, is a significant part of the heritage area of Albi. The bridge, built in the 11th century, is made of brick and it is described to be a fortified bridge. It seems that Albi is a target of enemies and the bridge had to be strengthened to be able to help repel invaders. There used to be a tower here which would house soldiers to help protect the city. It used to be that both ends of the bridge were protected by drawbridges, this means that they can control who crosses the river.

At that time, Albi was a very important city and people from all over would be coming here. Since the bridge was in the middle of town, someone thought of levying tolls on people wanting to cross the bridge. The bridge was some sort of magnet for people since there would be people setting up houses on the bridge itself. The houses are long gone now since they were a danger to the people and even to the people who live in them. These days, visitors can only see the bridge itself with the guard tower also torn down. I’m surprised that there was a lot of history behind this bridge. It helps give some life to and otherwise generic pretty picture of an old bridge.

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