The Old Bridge

The three graceful arches spanning the Mayenne belong to Laval’s oldest bridge, known simply as the Old Bridge. Back in Roman times, this was the site of a ford on the main road linking Le Mans to Brittany. In case you’ve forgotten, a ford is a shallow spot where you can cross a river on foot. In the 13th century, a real stone bridge was built here — a strategic structure that for centuries remained the only way to cross the river and reach the town. The bridge has changed a lot over time. Until 1779 it was lined with wooden houses, some jutting out on supports, and guarded by a fortified gateway called the Saint-Julien Gate. Many bridges you know today as simple crossings from one bank to the other were once crowded with houses, narrow, lively, almost extensions of the town built over the water. All of that disappeared with later redevelopments, leaving the profile you see today. The Old Bridge also saw darker days. On August 6, 1944, during the Liberation, it was partially blown up by German forces to slow the Allied advance. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1926, it now stands as a witness to eight centuries of history, from the Middle Ages to the Second World War.