Pont de Perronet

Pont Perronet is an 18th-century stone bridge spanning the Yerres river in Brunoy, in the Essonne department, roughly 25 km southeast of Paris. It stands on rue du Pont Perronet and has been listed as a French historic monument since 1991.

Why is it called Pont Perronet?

The bridge takes its name from Jean-Rodolphe Perronet, the first director of the École des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris — the school that trained generations of French road and bridge engineers and shaped national standards for civil engineering. Perronet was the most celebrated bridge builder of his era in France, and this crossing in Brunoy is one of his works outside the capital.

How did the bridge come to be built here?

A wooden bridge previously stood on the same site. It was swept away by a flood on the Yerres in 1784. Its replacement was commissioned by the man who then owned the Brunoy estate: Louis Stanislas Xavier, Comte de Provence, younger brother of Louis XVI and the future King Louis XVIII. The count had bought the Brunoy estate, including the Petit Château, in 1774 and treated it as a favourite country residence, so a reliable river crossing mattered directly to him. The new stone bridge went up between 1784 and 1787.

What is there to see?

Pont Perronet is a stone road bridge built with flattened (segmental) arches, a design Perronet championed because it produced a level, traffic-friendly roadway without sacrificing structural strength. He used the same arch profile on his best-known Paris project, the Pont de la Concorde, which makes this smaller Brunoy crossing a useful local example of Enlightenment-era engineering. The bridge still carries road traffic over the Yerres in the heart of town, exactly as it was built to do.

How do you get there?

The bridge sits in central Brunoy, an easy walk from Brunoy railway station on the RER D line, roughly 25–30 minutes from Paris Gare de Lyon. It's under a kilometre on foot from the station to the bridge, following streets that drop down into the Yerres valley. The area rewards a longer stroll too: the bridge borders the former grounds of the Petit and Grand Château estates, parts of which are now open as public green space.

When is the best time to visit?

The bridge can be seen year-round, but spring and early autumn give the most comfortable conditions for walking and photography, when water levels on the Yerres are moderate and the riverside trees aren't yet — or no longer — hiding the structure behind heavy foliage. In summer, the river valley offers shade for visitors escaping the heat in Paris.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who designed Pont Perronet in Brunoy? Jean-Rodolphe Perronet, the first director of the École des Ponts et Chaussées and one of the leading French bridge engineers of the 18th century.

When was the bridge built? The current stone bridge dates from 1784 to 1787, replacing an earlier wooden bridge destroyed by a flood in 1784.

Who ordered the bridge's construction? The Comte de Provence, then owner of the Brunoy estate and later King Louis XVIII of France, commissioned the rebuild.

Is the bridge a protected monument? Yes, Pont Perronet has been listed as a monument historique in France since 1 July 1991 (reference PA00087840).

Is the bridge still in use? Yes, it remains an active road bridge carrying traffic over the Yerres in central Brunoy.