Pont des Vendéens

A place of remembrance to remember.

The Pont des Vendéens in Le Mans (also known as the Old Bridge), in the Pontlieue district and over the River Huisne, is thought to have been built in the 11th century. At the end of 1793, it was mined by Republican troops to stop the arrival of the Vendéens in the city.

In the 19th century, houses were built on the remains of the bridge. These houses have now disappeared. The Pont des Vendéens (which still exists today) should not be confused with the Pontlieue bridge, which also spans the Huisne. The latter was built between 1766 and 1777 to the plans and instructions of the Ponts et Chaussées engineers Chaubry and de La Touche.