Alma's bridge - Diana

The Pont de l'Alma takes its name from the Battle of the Alma, a decisive victory for the French, British, and Ottoman alliance during the Crimean War in eighteen fifty-four. Napoleon the Third ordered the construction of the bridge to celebrate this military success, intending to debut it during the Universal Exhibition of eighteen fifty-five. Construction delays pushed the official inauguration back to April of eighteen fifty-six, when the emperor himself opened the stone span to the public. The bridge was designed to connect the rapidly growing districts of the Right and Left Banks, establishing a critical new artery for traffic in the heart of the city.