Pont de Rei explained

Bridge Name:Pont de Rei
Official Name:Pont de Rei (Catalan)
Also Known As:Pont du Roi (French)
Carries:Commercial VehiclesNon-commercial Vehicles
Crosses:Garonne
Locale:Fos, France  -
Bausen, Spain
Mapframe-Zoom:15
Coordinates:42.8491°N 0.736°W

The Pont de Rei (English: King's Bridge, French: Pont du Roi, Occitan (post 1500);: Eth Pònt de Rei) is a bridge and border crossing over the river Garonne that connects the Aran Valley of Spain with the Haute-Garonne department of France. The road on the French side is N125, ending in the commune of Fos; on the Spanish side the road is N-230, ending in the municipality of Bausen.

History

In 1515, the Plan d'Arem agreement was signed at the crossing between Spanish and French nobles and representatives to guarantee free passage and exchange of goods between the valleys on both sides of the border. A festival was held and a monument erected in 2015 to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of the treaty.[1]

The border crossing was used by many Spanish refugees fleeing to France during the Spanish Civil War; and in the other direction by Jews fleeing the Nazi occupation of France.[2] In 1944, the crossing was the point of entry and retreat for anti-Franco forces during the failed Invasion of Aran Valley.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Huguenin. Jean-Marc. La commune de Fos va fêter les 500 ans du traité du Plan D'Arem. francetvinfo.fr. France Télévisions. 19 August 2015. French.
  2. Web site: Recuperades quatre rutes d'evasió de jueus pel Pirineu. vilaweb.cat. Vilaweb. 19 August 2015. Catalan.
  3. Web site: Rodríguez Marcos. Javier. El valle de la libertad. elpais.com. El Pais. 18 August 2015. Spanish.