The history of La Charité-sur-Loire bridges (France, Burgundy and Centre Regions), from the 18th to the 20th century

Summary

Between La Charité-sur-Loire and La Chapelle-Montlinard, the Loire River split in two channels forming an island. Looking at the bridges used through time to cross the river at this location, one can determine different stages of construction and destruction. This paper provides a reconstruction of the bridges history over eight centuries based on underwater archeology, building archeology, geoarchaeology data, as well as archival data (text, maps). A first wooden bridge, built in the 13th century, shows by its orientation that the river has undergone significant changes in its course from the 14th century, at the start of the Little Ice Age. Later, a stone bridge and a wooden bridge were built on a different axis and stayed in place until present, despite various modifications. Crossing the Loire River at this location remains an important issue today, with the proposal to build a new bridge.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Coastal and Port Cities: Maritime Archaeology on Land and Underwater

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-57,07