Passerelle Debilly

About

Situation and access: The Debilly Bridge joins New York Avenue with the David-Ben-Gourion Esplanade, the Jacques-Chirac wharf and the Branly wharf, connecting the 16th to the 7th arrondissement. This site is served by the Jena metro station.

Origin of name: It bears the name of Brigadier General Jean Louis Debilly (1763-1806), killed at the Battle of Auerstaedt.

Built in the early 20th century, it has been listed as historic monuments since 18 April 1966. It was the commissioner general of the 1900 Universal Exhibition, Alfred Picard, who decided on October 26, 1898 to build a temporary bridge to allow the movement of visitors. Its construction makes it a contemporary of the Alexandre-III bridge (the same architect Jean Résal assisted by Amédée Alby and the same manufacturer Daydé and Pillé) and the viaduct of Austerlitz. First called "bridge of the military exhibition", then "bridge of Magdebourg" and "bridge of Billy", by the name of Jean-Louis Debilly, a general of the First Empire who died at the Battle of Auerstaedt...