General Information

The original, 153-metre-long bridge of Pont de l’Alma was constructed between 1854 and 1856, and at the time, each of the four piers of the bridge was decorated with a statue of military nature. The statue of a zouave soldier still serves Parisians as a measuring instrument for water levels.

Additional Information

The original statues included a zouave and a grenadier, by Georges Diébolt, and a skirmisher and an artilleryman, both sculpted by Arnaud. The bridge underwent a major reconstruction between 1970 and 1974. After the reconstruction, only the statue of the Zouave was preserved. The Skirmisher was relocated to the Gravelle Stronghold in Vincennes, the Grenadier to Dijon, and the Artilleryman to La Fère.