Langlois Bridge
Encyclopedia
Langlois Bridge was a drawbridge
in Arles
, France
, which has been the subject of several paintings by Vincent van Gogh
in 1888. Being one of eleven draw bridges built by a Dutch engineer along the channel from Arles to Port-de-Bouc
, this bridge might have reminded the artist of his homeland.
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
. Locks
and bridges were built, too, to manage water and road traffic. Just outside of 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 Brige was dismatled 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.
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.
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
in Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which has been the subject of several paintings by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
in 1888. Being one of eleven draw bridges built by a Dutch engineer along the channel from Arles to Port-de-Bouc
Port-de-Bouc
Port-de-Bouc is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, this bridge might have reminded the artist of his homeland.
History
New canals were opened up in southern FranceSouthern France
Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...
as they were needed to expand the network of canals. In the 19th century a canal was built from Arles to Bouc
Port-de-Bouc
Port-de-Bouc is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, located on the Mediterranean sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. Locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
and bridges were built, too, to manage water and road traffic. Just outside of 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 Brige was dismatled 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.
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.