Pont du Gard

The Pont du Gard is an aqueduct in the south of France constructed by the Roman Empire. Pont du Gard means literally bridge of the Gard (river). This bridge, built on three levels, it is 275 metres (900 feet) long and 49 metres (160 feet) high. It was part of an aqueduct nearly 50 kilometres (30 miles) long which supplied Nimes with water.

Pont du Gard

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Pont du Gard mini guide

Guide point	Details
Department:	South of France and the Riviera > Languedoc Roussillon > Gard >
Location:	The Pont du Gard is near Nimes (27km) and Avignon (21km) in Gard in the south of France. It is located between Remoulins (RN100) and Vers-Pont du Gard (D 81).
Switch board number:	0 820 903 330
Email address:	contact@pontdugard.fr
Visit owner's personal website:	http://www.pontdugard.fr/index.php?langue=GB
Public Transport:	Rail - Nimes and Avignon TGV stations. Since 2001 it takes just 2h50 for the TGV from Paris to Nimes. Road - A9 motorway, exit 23 at Remoulins, direction Uzes then follow the signs to the left or right bank.
Facilities general:	The catering services include a cafeteria and a traditional restaurant. Other attractions: museum, ludo (fun educational centre for children), media library and cinema and an open air exhibition : 'Mémoires de Garrigue'.
Quick links to accommodation:	Accommodation near Pont du Gard - Hotels in Pont du Gard Show accommodation in Gard - Self catering in Gard - Bed and Breakfast in Gard properties with pools in Gard -

It was long thought that the Pont du Gard was built around the year 19 BC. Newer excavations, however, suggest the construction took place in the middle of the first century A.D. Its construction is attributed to Augustus' son-in-law and aide, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. Designed to carry the water across the small Gardon river valley, it was part of a nearly 50 km aqueduct that brought water from springs near Uzès to the Roman city of Nemausus (Nîmes). The full aqueduct had a gradient of 34 cm/km (1/3000), descending only 17 m vertically in its entire length and delivering 20,000 cubic meters (5 million gallons) of water daily.

It was constructed entirely without the use of mortar. The aqueduct's stones – some of which weigh up to 6 tons – are held together with iron clamps. The masonry was lifted into place by block and tackle with a massive human-powered treadmill providing the power for the winch. A complex scaffold was erected to support the aqueduct as it was being built. The face of the aqueduct still bears the mark of its construction, in the form of protruding scaffolding supports and ridges on the piers which supported the semicircular wooden frames on which the arches were constructed. It is believed to have taken about three years to build, employing between 800 and 1,000 workers.