Pont Alexandre III connects the Champs-Élysées quarter and the Eiffel Tower quarter, and is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in Paris. Constructed between 1896 and 1900, it was a marvel of the 19th-century engineering. It includes numerous sculptures of cherubs and nymphets, as well as Art Nouveau lamp posts.
The arch bridge was named after Tsar Alexander III, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. The style of the bridge, with its exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at either end, reflects that of the Grand Palais, to which it leads on the Right Bank. Each of the ornaments on the bridge was created by a different artist.
The construction of the bridge is a marvel of the 19th-century engineering, and consists of a 6-metre-high single span steel arch. One of the requirements for the bridge was that it should not obstruct the view on the Invalides and Champs-Elysées. This resulted in a very low, 40-metre-wide bridge with a single 107.5-metre-long span and a height of only 6 metres.