The Meudon Viaduct, originally known as the Val-Fleury Viaduct and also called Hélène Bridge, is located in the town of
Meudon
Meudon () is a French Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, on the left bank of the Seine. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of P ...
in the
Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...
department of France.
Constructed as part of the railway line connecting
Paris-Montparnasse to
Versailles-Chantiers station
Versailles Chantiers station () is the principal railway station serving the city of Versailles, a wealthy suburb located west of Paris, France. The station is located at the junction of the Paris–Brest railway and the Grande Ceinture line. ...
, the viaduct spans the valley of the Ru d'Arthelon, separating the hills of Meudon from those of
Clamart
Clamart () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
The town is divided into two parts, separated by a forest: ''bas Clamart'', the historical centre, and ''petit Clamart'' with urban ...
. One of its arches accommodates the Invalides–Versailles-Rive-Gauche line, which opened in this section in the early
1900s
File:1900s decademontage2.png, 335px, From left, clockwise: The Wright brothers achieve the Wright Flyer, first manned flight with a motorized airplane, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Kitty Hawk in 1903; A missionary points to the severed hand of ...
and extends south toward Meudon-Val-Fleury station and beyond to
Versailles-Château-Rive-Gauche station.
This stone or masonry bridge stretches in length and features seven
spans. As of 2010, it holds the distinction of being the oldest railway viaduct still in operation in France.
History
19th century
After extensive studies, a design by the Polonceau-Seguin group was selected, with as the engineer,
Marc Seguin
Marc Seguin (20 April 1786 – 24 February 1875) was a French engineer, inventor of the wire-Wire rope, cable suspension bridge and the multi-tubular steam-engine firetube boiler, boiler.
Early life
Seguin was born in Annonay, Ardèche to Ma ...
and his brothers as architects, and Payen as the inspector.
The ambitious project aimed to overcome the natural barrier of the valley with a grand viaduct. The foundation stone was laid on October 1, 1838, by the
Duke of Orléans
Duke of Orléans () was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King Philip VI for his yo ...
. On September 9, 1840, the railway structure was inaugurated by
Louis Philippe I
Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...
, King of the French—though he reportedly did not enjoy train travel. The viaduct was later named Hélène Bridge in honor of
Hélène de Mecklembourg-Schwerin
Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Helene Luise Elisabeth; 24 January 1814 – 17 May 1858) was a French Crown Princess after her marriage in 1837 to the eldest son of Louis Philippe I. She is known as the mother of the future Count of Paris ...
, Duchess of Orléans and wife of the heir,
Ferdinand-Philippe d'Orléans. Despite local opposition in Meudon, construction was completed by September 1840, and commercial operations began on November 10, 1840.

In ''Voyage pittoresque sur le chemin de fer de Paris à Versailles'', the viaduct is described as follows:
Special attention was paid to the viaduct's foundations, which xtend between underground to reach the
chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...
layer, significantly increasing the project's cost.
The arrival of the railway transformed
Meudon
Meudon () is a French Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, on the left bank of the Seine. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of P ...
.
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French.
Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Bellevue, Queensland
* Bellevue, Western Australia
* Bellevue Hill, New South Wales
Canada
* Bellevue, Alberta
* Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...
, a residential area developed around 1824, expanded rapidly. The railway's route was partly designed to serve this emerging district, making it easier for Parisians—who already appreciated the village's charm—to visit on Sundays or settle there. Just a few hundred meters from the viaduct, the
Meudon rail disaster occurred on May 8, 1842.
20th century
Nearly a century later, in 1936, the viaduct underwent significant modernization during the doubling oef the railway tracks. Its silhouette was subtly altered with reinforcements to the
abutment
An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end that provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...
s and
pier
A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
s, and a
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...
deck was added to accommodate the expansion.
21st century
At the request of Meudon’s municipality, which sought to highlight its heritage, the ''Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine'' illuminated the Hélène Bridge to enhance its visibility and prominence.
Gallery
File:Pt1meu.jpg,
File:Viaduc-de-Meudon.jpg,
File:Viaduc-de-Meudon-début XX.jpg,
File:Viaduc de Meudon-1935.jpg, Modifications under the Marquet Plan in 1935.
File:CLC 1 - VAL-FLEURY - Panorama du Val.jpg, View of the viaduct from the Invalides–Versailles-Rive-Gauche line in the early 20th century.
See also
*
Meudon
Meudon () is a French Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, on the left bank of the Seine. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of P ...
*
Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
*
{{Portal, Rail transport, Transport, France, Architecture, Engineering
Buildings and structures in Hauts-de-Seine
19th-century architecture in France
Bridges completed in 1840
History of Île-de-France