Pont du Gard, Aquaeduct 1:300

Craft sheet, cardboard model Pont Du Gard

A huge model of the famous water conduit bridge in France!

The Pont du Gard is a Roman aqueduct and part of a 50 km long former water conduit to Nîmes. It is located in the Gard department in southern France and crosses the Gardon River. As one of the best-preserved water channels from Roman times, it is considered the most important bridge construction of antiquity and is one of the most important sights in southern France.

The aqueduct was probably built in the 1st century AD. Construction took about three years and was carried out by about 1,000 slaves and prisoners of war. The material used was coarse yellow limestone of the same size, which was joined together without mortar. The whole thing was held in place by the pressure of the individual stones and the resulting friction. The pillars of one level were placed exactly on the pillars of the level below in order to reduce the load on the lower arcades.

The Pont du Gard is 49 metres high and divided into three levels, which become longer and longer towards the top. The lower level is built of six arcades, the middle level of eleven. The upper level has 35 arcades and a total length of 275 metres. The entire water pipeline had a gradient of only 24 centimetres per kilometre along its 50-kilometre route. This made it possible to transport 20,000 cubic metres of water.

The entire water conduit was severely neglected in the 4th century. From the 9th century it was completely unusable. For the most part, it was demolished by people to use the stones elsewhere. From the Middle Ages until the 18th century, the former aqueduct was used as a road bridge.

Today, there is a visitor centre near the aqueduct. The Pont du Gard has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1985.