Pont des Consuls

Are all the bridges in Montauban built over the Tarn River? Not quite! While six of them do cross the Tarn, others were built closer to the edge of the city center to keep Montauban’s road network running smoothly. And what better example than the elegant Pont des Consuls, the Consuls’ Bridge, right in front of you, with its signature red brick and delicate white stone detailing. So where does the name come from? That’s where it gets interesting. When Alphonse Jourdain founded Montauban in 1144, he handed over the city’s governance to ten consuls, elected each year. They originally met on Place Nationale, but in 1476 they moved into a house on what’s now Place Lefranc Pompignan, which back then sat at the edge of a ravine. They stayed there until 1870, when a major urban remodeling project led to the demolition of their building and the surrounding houses. That’s when the esplanade was created and the nearby theatre expanded, giving the area a more refined feel. But even with those upgrades, one major problem remained: there was still no proper connection between the historic center and the northern suburbs, separated by a deep valley where the Lagarrigue stream flows. To fix that once and for all, the city turned to architect Léon Gardelle, who designed this bridge between 1883 and 1898, using the traditional architectural style of the region. After years of wear and neglect, the Consuls’ Bridge finally got the restoration it deserved, with major renovation work carried out between 2009 and 2011 – a fresh start for a bridge that’s now ready to serve the city for many more years to come.