Langlois Bridge (French: ''Pont de Langlois'') was a
double-beam drawbridge
A double-beam drawbridge, seesaw or folding bridge is a movable bridge . It opens by rotation about a horizontal axis parallel to the water. Historically, the double-beam drawbridge has emerged from the drawbridge. Unlike a drawbridge, a double ...
in
Arles
Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, which was the subject of
several paintings by
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...
in 1888. Being one of eleven drawbridges built by a Dutch engineer along the channel from Arles to
Port-de-Bouc
Port-de-Bouc (; oc, Lo Pòrt de Boc) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department
The following is a list of the 119 communes of the Bouches-du- ...
, this bridge might have reminded the artist of his homeland.
History
New canals were opened up in
southern France as they were needed to expand the network of canals. In the 19th century a canal was built
from Arles to Bouc, located on the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
.
Locks
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
and bridges were built, too, to manage water and road traffic. Just outside Arles, the first bridge was the officially titled "Pont de Réginelle" but better known by the keeper's name as "Pont de Langlois".
In 1930, the original drawbridge was replaced by a reinforced concrete structure which, in 1944, was blown up by the retreating Germans who destroyed all the other bridges along the canal except for the one at Fos. The Fos Bridge was dismantled in 1959 with a view to relocating it on the site of the Langlois Bridge but as a result of structural difficulties, it was finally reassembled at Montcalde Lock several kilometers away from the original site.
"Canal d'Arles à Bouc"
''Projet Babel''. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
A reconstructed bridge of the Langlois Bridge, named "Pont Van Gogh" (Van Gogh bridge), recognizing the works that Van Gogh made of the bridge, is owned by the Arles tourist board.
Depiction in art
Vincent van Gogh made several paintings, a watercolor and drawings of the Langlois bridge in a series now titled '' Langlois Bridge at Arles.''
;Gallery
File:Van Gogh - Die Brücke von Langlois in Arles1.jpeg, ''Langlois Bridge at Arles'', watercolor. 1888. Private collection (F1480)
File:Pont de l'Anglois.jpg, Pont Van Gogh, replica of the Langlois Bridge
Image:Langlois and Van Gogh bridges locations map.gif, ''Pont de Langlois'' (red) and ''Pont Van Gogh'' (green); entrance of the canal in 1888 (blue)
See also
* Double-beam drawbridge
A double-beam drawbridge, seesaw or folding bridge is a movable bridge . It opens by rotation about a horizontal axis parallel to the water. Historically, the double-beam drawbridge has emerged from the drawbridge. Unlike a drawbridge, a double ...
* Drawbridge
* :nl:Ophaalbrug, a counterweight
A counterweight is a weight that, by applying an opposite force, provides balance and stability of a mechanical system. The purpose of a counterweight is to make lifting the load faster and more efficient, which saves energy and causes less wea ...
ed double-beam drawbridge used in the Netherlands
References
{{coord, 43, 39, 25, N, 4, 37, 16, E, type:landmark, display=title
Bridges in France
Buildings and structures in Arles
Buildings and structures in Bouches-du-Rhône
Tourist attractions in Bouches-du-Rhône
Transport in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur