The Jena Bridge

In 1807, Napoleon I, from Warsaw, decreed the construction of a bridge near the Military School. Named after his 1806 Battle of Jena victory, it ignored earlier names like pont du Champ-de-Mars and pont de l'École militaire.

When Allies occupied Paris, Prussian General Blücher aimed to destroy the Pont d'Iéna, symbolizing a French triumph over Prussia. The Paris Prefect's pleas failed, so he sought Talleyrand's help. Talleyrand cleverly persuaded Tsar Alexander in Paris to inaugurate the bridge under a new name, Pont de l'École militaire, preventing its destruction. Under Louis-Philippe, Talleyrand influenced the return to its original name.

The bridge, completed between 1808 and 1814, featured five 28-meter arches, funded by the State. Its sides originally showcased imperial eagles by François-Frédéric Lemot and Jean-François Mouret, later replaced with royal and then imperial symbols under different regimes.

By 1853, four statues adorned the bridge's ends: Gallic and Roman warriors by Antoine-Augustin Préault and Louis-Joseph Daumas on the Right Bank; Arab and Greek warriors by Jean-Jacques Feuchère and François-Théodore Devaulx on the Left Bank.

By the late 19th century, traffic demands led to plans to widen the bridge, then only 14 meters across. The 1937 World Fair prompted its expansion and reinforcement, including adding concrete elements and preserving its historic elements.

Since 1975, the bridge has been a historic monument. Its steps, famously used in the film A View to a Kill, are known as the "Renault stairs," remembered for a chase scene with James Bond and May Day.