Pont Tournant sur le Canal de l'Est

Pont Tournant sur le Canal de l'Est is a historic swing bridge in the village of Selles, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of France. It's a small structure with an outsized story: the last hand-cranked swivel bridge on the entire canal, still opened today exactly as it was over a century ago.

Why was this bridge built?

The bridge's story is inseparable from the canal it crosses. After France's defeat in the 1870 war and the loss of Alsace and part of Lorraine, French authorities needed to break the isolation of the Vosges region for river transport. The answer was the Canal de l'Est, a waterway linking the Moselle valley to the Saône valley along the western slope of the Vosges mountains. Its southern branch, known today as the Canal des Vosges, opened to traffic in 1887, and the bridge at Selles was built as part of that same project.

Engineer Travelet submitted the bridge's plans in October 1879. The Vosges prefecture put the construction work out to tender in March 1880, and the contract went to the firm De la Vallée Poussin & Cie.

How does a swing bridge actually work?

The mechanism is simple but effective. A metal deck measuring 13.75 meters long and 3.85 meters wide, made of checker-plate steel, sits on a central pivot. To let a boat through, the whole deck rotates around that pivot, swinging clear of the channel instead of lifting up like a classic drawbridge. The operation has always been done by hand — no motors, no hydraulics, just a canal worker turning the mechanism manually. The bridge conforms to the Freycinet gauge, the 19th-century standard that still governs the maximum size of barges using the Canal des Vosges today.

The bridge stands right in the center of the village, facing the town hall, at a point where the canal runs parallel to the local river. A separate stone bridge crosses the river nearby, while the swing bridge handles the canal crossing.

What makes the Selles bridge special?

What makes this structure genuinely rare is that it's the last swing bridge on the whole canal still operated by hand — every other example on the route was mechanized long ago. Because of that uniqueness, and because its original mechanism has survived so well, the bridge earned historic monument status: first in December 1994, covering its railings and control mechanism, then with full classification in February 2001 covering the bridge itself, its mechanism, and the stone quay elements. Its most recent restoration took place in 2009, which kept the structure both historically accurate and fully operational.

What else is there to see nearby?

Selles sits along the Canal des Vosges, a route popular with boaters and cyclists following the towpath. It's worth strolling the quayside to catch the bridge swinging open for a passing barge, and taking a look at the town hall it faces across the canal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a "pont tournant," or swing bridge? It's a type of movable bridge whose deck rotates around a vertical pivot to clear the way for boats, rather than lifting upward like a traditional drawbridge.

Is the bridge at Selles still functional? Yes — it remains in working order and is still opened by hand, exactly as it was when built in the 19th century.

Why is the bridge protected as a historic monument? Because it's the last hand-operated swing bridge remaining on the entire Canal de l'Est / Canal des Vosges, making it a unique surviving example of 19th-century engineering.

Where exactly is the bridge located? In the center of the village of Selles, facing the town hall, at the point where the canal runs alongside the local river.