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 ...

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)

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