13: Gourdon Bridge over Gorges du Loup

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Also known as the Viaduc du Riou de Gourdon. This was a railway bridge built in the 19th century. The bridge was destroyed by retreating German troops on August 24, 1944. This section no longer exists as seen, only the pillars now remain. The rest of the railway is now the Route de l'Ancien Chemin de Fer, a bicycle/pedestrian trail. Located in Pont du Loup, in the Commune de Gourdon. An 1895 picture of the full bridge.

This picture was taken from the Hotel de La Réserve, the restaurant where they stopped for lunch (on a day trip from Nice). You can see the same terrace in this picture. Queen Victoria used to stop here and water her carriages's horses. The hotel was closed after the bombing of 1993 by its owner, who owed a lot of money to the mafia and he thought he could get some insurance money to refund the mob. He went to prison. The building became derelict. In 2019 the building was to become luxury apartments called La Réserve du Loup. But it didn't happen. Current status unknown. Some pictures of the old hotel (second page). Two 2002 pictures are in the Pont-du-Loup Photo Gallery (2 and 6).