Avenue Montaigne and Place Alma. Alma Square and the flame of freedom The history of the appearance and appearance of the bridge

The Alma Bridge in Paris was erected in the middle of the 19th century in honor of the victory of French troops over the army of the Russian Empire in the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War. For a long time, it was an ordinary road bridge that did not attract much attention from tourists. The design gained notoriety after Princess Diana died in a car accident in a tunnel running under it. Today, Lady Dee fans from all over the world come to the Alma Bridge. Fresh flowers always lie at the site of the death of an English princess, and the walls around it are covered with declarations of love addressed to her.

The history of the appearance and appearance of the bridge

The death of Princess Diana on the last day of summer 1997 shocked the whole world. The death of the national favorite became a personal tragedy for tens of millions of people, and the bridge, at the entrance to which there was a bloody accident, turned into a place of pilgrimage for tourists. What is the Alma Bridge, which played a fatal role in the life of Lady Di? The history of the 153-meter arched structure begins in 1854, when, in honor of the victory of the French over the Russian troops, Emperor Napoleon III of France ordered the construction of a new bridge across the Seine. The construction of the building was completed in 1856. It got its name in honor of Alma Square located not far from it. Initially, the length of the bridge was about 75 m, but in 1900 it became 2 times longer due to the pedestrian road attached to it.

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The foundations of the bridge on which the death of Princess Diana occurred, used to be decorated with statues of soldiers of the French army, namely an infantryman, a grenadier, a zouave and an artilleryman. From these figures, the Parisians determined the water level in the Seine. If it touched the ankles of the statues, passers-by were forbidden to be near the river. If the water reached the level of the thighs of the military, this meant that the Seine River in Paris could burst its banks at any moment. In such situations, river navigation was temporarily suspended in the city.

In the 70s of the last century, the city authorities subjected the bridge to a thorough reconstruction, as a result of which it was expanded and completely renovated. Of the 4 statues, the city planners decided to leave only the figure of the zuave. With its help, Parisians still determine the water level in the Seine.

Some tourists are sure that Alma is located near the bridge, but they are mistaken. The French capital is indeed decorated with several copies of this monument, but none of them was installed near the bridge in question. The largest statue of Liberty in Paris, donated to the French by the American diaspora in 1889, stands on Swan Island. Its height is 11.5 m. Smaller copies today adorn the Orsay art gallery and the Museum of Sciences and Arts. But it cannot be argued that the bridge has nothing to do with the legendary statue, since in 1989, at the entrance to it, a sculptural composition called “The Flame of Freedom” was placed. It accurately reproduces the fire of the torch of the Statue of Liberty in New York.

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For unknown reasons, tourists visiting Paris lay flowers at the monument, believing that it was erected on the site where Princess Diana died, although in fact she crashed in the tunnel directly below it.

Below you can see the entrance to the tunnel (under the Alma bridge), where, in fact, everything happened.

Fatal accident in the tunnel at the entrance to the bridge

Prince Charles' ex-wife Diana and her fiancé Dodi Al-Fayed died in a disaster on August 31, 1997. The car in which the lovers were, got into a fatal accident in the tunnel under the Alma bridge. Dodi Al-Fayed and the driver of the car died instantly. Princess Diana's death came 2 hours after the accident. Today, there are several versions trying to explain the cause of the disaster on the Alma bridge. According to experts, the death of Lady Dee could be due to:

• the harassment of the paparazzi, who blinded the princess's chauffeur with the flashes of their photographic lenses;
• alcohol intoxication of the driver;
• revenge of the English queen to her former daughter-in-law.

The photo, in which correspondents captured the place of the death of Princess Diana, flew around the world for several hours. Parisians and guests of the city began to come to the Alma bridge to lay flowers on the site of the accident. Almost 20 years have passed since the death of the English princess, but crowds of people still arrive on the bridge to honor her memory. The parapet of the tunnel is inscribed with poems and declarations of love to the Princess of Wales, and near the Flame of Freedom, installed near the site of the tragedy, fresh flowers lie even in winter.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alma Bridge
Location	France France , Paris
Design
Construction type
total length
Bridge width
Exploitation
Opening	In 1970-1974, the old bridge was replaced with a modern one in order to expand it for traffic needs. Currently, of the four statues on the bridge, only the figure of the Zouave has survived. The rest were taken away from Paris: for example, the "Infantryman" is in the Vincennes fort Gravel. Having been refused to exhibit his paintings at the official Salon, the artist Edouard Manet built a barrack near the Alma bridge for their exhibition. The action of Remarque's novel The Arc de Triomphe begins on this bridge. At the entrance to the bridge in 1999, a copy of the flame of the torch of the Statue of Liberty was installed, known as "Flame of Freedom". After the English Princess Diana died in the tunnel near the Alma Bridge, this sculptural composition was rethought as a monument in her honor. paris-zouave-pont-de-l-alma.jpg Chasseur a pied.jpg "Infantryman" Diebolt - le grenadier.jpg "Grenadier" P1030749 Paris XV Avenue de New-York et Flamme de la Liberté rwk.JPG "Flame of Freedom" Location
Downstream: Debilly Bridge		Upstream: Bridge of the Invalides

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An excerpt characterizing the Alma Bridge

- Mais, mon cher, [But, my dear,] I did it for myself, for my conscience, and there is nothing to thank me for. No one ever complained that he was too loved; and then, you are free, even if you quit tomorrow. Here you will see everything yourself in St. Petersburg. And it's time for you to move away from these terrible memories. Prince Vasily sighed. Yes, yes, my soul. And let my valet ride in your carriage. Oh yes, I had forgotten, ”Prince Vasily added,“ you know, mon cher, that we had accounts with the deceased, so I received from Ryazan and will leave it: you don’t need it. We agree with you.
What Prince Vasily called from "Ryazan" was several thousand dues, which Prince Vasily left with himself.
In St. Petersburg, as well as in Moscow, an atmosphere of tender, loving people surrounded Pierre. He could not refuse the place or, rather, the title (because he did nothing) that Prince Vasily brought him, and there were so many acquaintances, calls and social activities that Pierre, even more than in Moscow, experienced a feeling of haziness, haste and everything that comes, but does not happen any good.
From his former bachelor society, many were not in St. Petersburg. The Guard went on the march. Dolokhov was demoted, Anatole was in the army, in the provinces, Prince Andrei was abroad, and therefore Pierre could neither spend the nights, as he used to like to spend them, nor occasionally take his soul in a friendly conversation with an older respected friend. All the time it was held at dinners, balls, and mainly with Prince Vasily - in the company of the fat princess, his wife, and the beautiful Helen.
Anna Pavlovna Scherer, like others, showed Pierre the change that had taken place in the public view of him.
Previously, in the presence of Anna Pavlovna, Pierre constantly felt that what he was saying was indecent, tactless, not what was needed; that his speeches, which seem clever to him, while he is preparing them in his imagination, become stupid as soon as he speaks out loud, and that, on the contrary, the most stupid speeches of Hippolytus come out clever and sweet. Now everything he said came out charmant. Even if Anna Pavlovna did not say this, he saw that she wanted to say it, and she only, in respect of his modesty, refrained from doing so.
At the beginning of the winter from 1805 to 1806, Pierre received from Anna Pavlovna the usual pink note with an invitation, in which was added: "Vous trouverez chez moi la belle Helene, qu "on ne se lasse jamais de voir." [I will have a beautiful Helen that you never get tired of admiring.]
Reading this place, Pierre for the first time felt that some kind of connection had formed between him and Helene, recognized by other people, and this thought at the same time frightened him, as if an obligation was imposed on him that he could not keep, and together he liked it, as an amusing assumption.
Anna Pavlovna's evening was the same as the first, only the novelty that Anna Pavlovna treated her guests was now not Mortemar, but a diplomat who had arrived from Berlin and brought the latest details about the stay of Emperor Alexander in Potsdam and how the two highest friend swore there in an inseparable alliance to defend a just cause against the enemy of the human race. Pierre was received by Anna Pavlovna with a touch of sadness, obviously related to the fresh loss that befell the young man, to the death of Count Bezukhy (everyone constantly considered it a duty to assure Pierre that he was very upset by the death of his father, whom he hardly knew) - and sadness exactly the same as the highest sadness that was expressed at the mention of the august Empress Maria Feodorovna. Pierre felt flattered by this. Anna Pavlovna, with her usual art, arranged circles in her drawing room. A large circle, where Prince Vasily and the generals were, used a diplomat. The other circle was at the tea table. Pierre wanted to join the first, but Anna Pavlovna, who was in an irritated state of a commander on the battlefield, when thousands of new brilliant thoughts come that you barely have time to put into practice, Anna Pavlovna, seeing Pierre, touched him on the sleeve.

Many historical places in Paris are inextricably linked with the history of Russia and the names of Russian people. This is evidenced by 51 names of streets and squares in Paris.

The Crimean War turned out to be "fruitful" for Russian names. Looks nice, for example, such a Parisian address: XVI district, Traktir street. But it's not about the French fascination with Russian cuisine - in 1855 in the Crimea near the Traktir bridge on the Chernaya River near Sevastopol, the French inflicted a humiliating defeat on the 50,000-strong Russian army, five times their number. The Museum of the Army in the House of Invalids exhibited the painting "Battle at the Traktir Bridge".

Alma Bridge

The Alma Bridge was opened by Napoleon III on April 2, 1856. It was built during the Crimean War of 1854-1856 and named after an obscure river in the Crimea, where the Anglo-French troops defeated the Russian army on the Alma River in Crimea on September 20, 1854. In the early 1970s, the bridge was rebuilt, but Parisians still measure the water level in the Seine by the resistant stone zouave.

Alma Square

Alma Square was opened on March 2, 1858. It got its name because of its proximity to the Alma Bridge. The Alma-river, 83 km long, is located in the Crimea in Ukraine. It flows into the Kalmyt Golf of the Black Sea. During the Crimean War of 1853-1856, there was a battle between Russian and French, British and Turkish troops who landed in Evpatoria. Russian troops of 33,000 soldiers and 96 cannons were defeated and retreated to Sevastopol due to the strength of the Coalition troops, numbering 55,000 soldiers and 120 cannons. The loss of Russian troops amounted to 5700 soldiers, the Coalition 4300, including 3000 English.

Alma town

Town of Alma Private arcade. Named "Cite Alma" because it borders the bridge and Alma Square. Learned the name in 1859.

Evpatoria street

Evpatoria Street got its name in 1864 in honor of the landing of the Franco-Turkish troops in the Crimea in September 1854. Evpatoria is a city in the Crimea known for its sanatoriums and sea and mud bath treatments, mainly for children. The emergence of Evpatoria is attributed to a Greek settlement called Herhinites in the 5th-6th century BC. In the 16th and 17th centuries, a Turkish fortress appeared on this site and the city was renamed Gozlev: the commercial center of slaves. In 1784, after the annexation of Crimea to Russia, Evpatoria again acquires its name.

Passage Evpatoria

Passage Evpatoria got its name in 1878, as it starts on Evpatoria Street.

Crimea street

Krym Street was named in 1848. It was on the Crimean peninsula in the now world-famous city of Yalta that a meeting took place between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. On this street is the Church of St. Sergei. Crimea or the Crimean peninsula with an area of ​​25.5 thousand square kilometers is located in the southern part of Ukraine. It is washed by two seas: Black in the south, Azov in the east. The first traces of a man and his settlements, called Kik-Kaba and Staroselie, found on this peninsula, lead in the Paleolithic era to the remains of the Neanderthal man. In the first millennium BC, the Simmeriens, Torua and Skits lived in the Crimea. In the fifth millennium BC, the Bosphorus state appeared on the Kerch Peninsula. Skits appeared in the Crimean steppes in the third millennium BC. In the second half of the first century BC, part of the coast was occupied by Roma, who retained his power until the third century. In the XIII and XV centuries, the principality of Fedor and the commercial centers of Genoa appear. Since 1475 Crimea has been under the influence of Turkey. At the end of the 17th century, Russia began a Russian-Turkish war in order to gain access to the Black Sea. In 1783 Crimea was annexed to Russia. During World War II, it was almost completely destroyed. Today it has again become an important healing center.

Passage Crimea

Passage Krym is located next to Krym Street, which determined its name, which it received on February 1, 1877. The passage begins at number 219 of Krym Street.

Prospect Malakhov

On August 24, 1864, the avenue called St. Denis was renamed Malakhov Avenue. The avenue was named in honor of the capture of Malakhov Hill by French troops on September 8, 1855. This victory over the Russian bastion provoked the fall of the southern part of the city of Sevastopol. Hill Malakhov is located on the heights in the southeastern part of the city of Sevastopol. During the defense of Sevastopol in 1845-1855, this hill played an important role in the defense of the city. It became the main site of attacks by French troops on August 6 and 27, 1855. During the siege, admirals V.A. Kornilov and P.S. Nakhimov were mortally wounded, V.I. Istomin was killed. On Malakhov Hill, a panorama museum "Defence of Sevastopol from 1854 to 1855" is currently open.

Dead End Malakhov

Dead end Malakhov was named in 1854 due to its proximity to Malakhov Avenue. This private cul-de-sac begins at number 30 Avenue Raymond Poincaré. It bears this name due to its proximity to Malakhov Avenue.

Boulevard Sevastopol

Sevastopol Boulevard is one of the busiest French boulevards, stretching from the central Chatelet Square to the "popular" northern quarters of Paris. Laid in the middle of the last century, it was initially called Central. But the Crimean War arrived and a long siege - a whole year - followed by a successful assault on the naval base of the Russian fleet. And Emperor Napoleon III opened the boulevard already under the name that immortalized the victory over Russian weapons.

Alma Bridge is best known for the fact that Princess Diana died in the tunnel under it. On the night of August 31, 1997, the princess with her friend Dodi Al-Fayed left the Ritz Hotel to meet her death. Ten minutes later, the car, moving away from the paparazzi motorcycles at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, crashed into a tunnel support.

Crowds of people went to the place of the tragedy to honor the memory of the princess. Above the tunnel, at the entrance to the bridge, stands the Flame of Liberty - a gilded replica of the torch of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from America to France, a sign of friendship between the two countries. It was here that people began to pile mountains of flowers.

Now many people think that the torch is a monument to Diana. Perhaps this offends both France and America a little. (The mayor's office of Paris offends - it is necessary to remove graffiti, remove bouquets, monitor the safety of the sculpture.) In any case, in 2008, a new Flame of Freedom was installed in the courtyard of the US Embassy in France. The sculpture by Jean Cardo was unveiled in the presence of Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and George W. Bush.

However, the Alma Bridge is interesting not only because of the tragedy that broke out under it. Opened in 1856, it was named after the victory of the Franco-English coalition over the Russian troops in the Battle of the Alma River, the first major battle of the Crimean War.

On four sides, under the bridge, there were sculptures of the military who participated in the battle on the Alma - a zouave (a soldier of the French colonial troops), a grenadier, an infantryman and an artilleryman. After the reconstruction of the 1970s, only the Zouave remained, the rest of the statues are now in other places. It was impossible to remove the zuave - this is a legendary figure for the Parisians: it was from it that the water level in the Seine was determined. If the water covered the feet of the Zouave, the police blocked the passage to the river, and if the water reached the hips, they stopped navigation. During the famous flood that occurred in Paris in January 1910, the water reached the shoulders of the Zouave! The flood lasted about two months, the city was flooded so that it was only possible to swim on it. The water rose 8.6 meters. There are many photos left: people are sailing through Paris in boats, crossing the streets on makeshift narrow footbridges. There is also a photo of a zuave looking out of the water.

Now another bridge, Tournelle, is used to officially determine the water level in the Seine, but Parisians know that the easiest way to look at the zouave is under the Alma bridge.

	Nearest hotels:	at 370 meters	Melia Royal Alma Boutique Hotel	from	180 € *
		at 960 meters	Hotel Alma	from	100 € *
		at 760 meters	Hotel Malar	from	85 € *
			* minimum room rate for two in low season
	Nearest metro:	Alma - Marceau (Alma - Marceau)			line

Alma Square owes its entry into guidebooks exclusively to Diana, Princess of Wales. We will try to bypass, as far as possible, that sad story, and tell about the history of the square, its name and sights.

For the first Parisian world exhibition in 1855, held on the Champs Elysees, a bridge was built connecting the now extremely respectable 8th with the no less respectable 7th arrondissement of Paris. Napoleon III named the bridge Alma, in honor of the victory of the French, Turks and British over the Russians in the battle of the Alma River in the Crimean War.

It was just before that battle that one of our commanders first said the native: "we will throw hats on the enemy." In English paintings, Alma is full-flowing almost like the Seine, but now it is just a dirty stream - everything is getting smaller.

The choice of the name for the bridge and, for the company, the square is not surprising, because Napoleon III was very proud of the victory in the Crimean War (at first, Nicholas I offended him, saying that, they say, they piled on the first Napoleon, and you come in). The bridge glorified the victories of French weapons, and under its supports were sculptures of representatives of the military branches: an infantryman, an artilleryman, a grenadier and a zouave (the zouaves were infantry recruited from North Africans). Zouave used to measure the water level in the Seine: every part of his body, hiding under water, launched certain flood control procedures in the municipality, so the hip of the zoua, hiding in the water, closed the river navigation. In 1970, the bridge was rebuilt, Zouave was raised above the water, and his comrades in arms were sent some to Vincennes and some to Dijon.

The bridge gave its name to the square, and then to the tunnel. Above the exit from the ill-fated tunnel stands a beautiful monument - this is the flame of Freedom.

In 1886, the French gave the Americans the famous New York Statue of Liberty. Since then, grateful Americans have been giving Freedom back in smaller copies and piece by piece. First, they donated a copy of the statue on a scale of 1:5, installed on the spit of Swan Island, and then the International Herald Tribune newspaper presented Paris with a copy of the flame of the torch. It was like this: this English-language newspaper, founded in 1887 in Paris, decided to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of the first issue and announced a collection of donations in order to raise funds for the erection of a monument. Already 2 years later, in 1989, Jacques Chirac, then the mayor of Paris, ...

... opened a monument on Alma Square, personifying both the friendship of France and the United States, and at the same time the principles of freedom in general and freedom of the press in particular, which are laid down in the foundations of the statehood of the two countries.

The monument is an exact copy of the New York statue's torch flame in its current form. The old torch is transparent, illuminated from the inside and was rather ugly (you can see it in the statue museum on Liberty Island in New York), and the new one is gilded and illuminated from the outside. It must be admitted that the monument came out very harmonious, filled with meaning and, in general, extremely successful.

The life of the monument was changed dramatically by an accident that occurred in the tunnel under it on August 31, 1997, which claimed the lives of Princess Diana and Mr. Al-Fayed. An English investigation showed that their driver was drunk, doubled the speed limit, plus no one was wearing a seatbelt - all driver-passenger vices are evident. One way or another, in the hysterical posthumous explosion of worldwide love for Lady Dee, the “flame of Liberty” monument began to be perceived by the townsfolk as a monument to Diana. Municipal officials constantly ripped off photos and messages to the princess, pasted on the pedestal, until the enthusiasm of the masses began to decline. The mayor's office of Paris even wanted to rename Place Alma to Place Princess Diana, but the idea met with active resistance from the English royal house, and this spectacular step had to be abandoned.