le pont d'Avignon

The Pont Saint-Bénezet seen in the 1900s, is better known as the Pont d'Avignon - a famous medieval bridge in the town of Avignon, in southern France.

The bridge originally spanned the Rhône River between Avignon and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon on the left bank. It was built between 1171 and 1185, with an original length of some 900 m (2950 ft), but it suffered frequent collapses during floods and had to be reconstructed several times. Over the centuries, it became increasingly perilous as arches collapsed and were replaced by rickety wooden sections.

The bridge was finally put out of use by a catastrophic flood in 1668, which swept away much of the structure. It was subsequently abandoned and no more attempts were made to repair it. Since then, its surviving arches have successively collapsed or been demolished, and only four of the initial 22 arches remain intact today.

The song about dancing on the bridge Sur le Pont d'Avignon which dates back to the 16th century is known worldwide. In fact, people probably would have danced beneath the bridge (sous le pont) where it crossed a river island (the Ile de Barthelasse) on its way to Villeneuve. The island was (and still is) a popular recreation spot, where pleasure gardens once stood and folk dancing was a popular pastime for many years. The bridge itself is too narrow to have accommodated dancers. (info- Wikipedia)