05 - The Loire

We are facing the Loire, the longest river in France (1011 km). The Loire crosses 12 departments including the Loiret over 120 kilometers. A so-called wild river, the Loire has experienced many floods, often deadly, over the centuries.

The old bridge from the Middle Ages was located a few meters in front of you facing the Hotel. Under your feet, several small islands, which were called mottes, were inhabited, fortified, and one of them had its chapel: the Saint-Antoine chapel.

In the middle of the bridge, on the edge, you can see the cartouche, the sculpture made in 1758 by Christophe-Gabriel Allegrain, sculptor to the king.

On your left, the Quai du Châtelet. The hole in the wall was an underground passage in the 19th century for unloading boats, because the Château du Châtelet plunged into the Loire and there was no quay there. The port was located at the level of the strip of cobblestones and hundreds of freight ships passed through it every day. With the arrival of the railway, the port activity will stop.

Other boats will come to settle: A floating swimming pool and many wash boats. Opposite, in the distance, you can see the Thinat bridge, built in 1977 and just behind, the railway bridge dating from 1843.

Turn around to see the Joffre bridge, built in 1958. Shortly before this bridge, during the last war, a huge wooden footbridge was built by the Germans. It was called the Hermann Göring footbridge.

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