Places near me Random place
All France Gueugnon Legend of the Ferryman

Legend of the Ferryman

Before this bridge was built people had to wait for the ferryman, an annoyance that, the story has it, gave the town its name.

Gueugnon, France

Émiland Gauthey   Christine Williamson (Atlas Obscura User)
Pont Émiland Gauthey   Christine Williamson (Atlas Obscura User)
Légende du Passeur   Christine Williamson (Atlas Obscura User)
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

The "Pont Gauthey," a bridge in Guegnon, France, is a good place to tell La légende du passeur—the legend of the ferryman.

The bridge in Gueugnon is an arched bridge of 60.87 meters length. Completed in 1787, it was one of the first buildings of Émiland Gauthey.

In the Charolais dialect, the word "gueugner" means whining or moaning. In the old times there was no bridge over the Arroux in this place. People had to wait for the ferryman and his boat. The ferryman was often not on time. And because of that, the people groaned and moaned—hence the origin of the town name, Gueugnon!

Related Tags

Bridges

Know Before You Go

Accessable year around, day and night.

Community Contributors

Published

July 11, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 680
Stories 69

Related Places

  • Conwy Suspension Bridge

    Conwy, Wales

    Conwy Suspension Bridge

    One of the oldest suspension bridges in the world blends in perfectly with a medieval castle.

  • Pelješac Bridge

    Duboka, Croatia

    Pelješac Bridge

    Construction of this bridge was once described as an "act of violence" against a neighboring country.

  • This once-abandoned space has been given new life as a public park.

    Bangkok, Thailand

    Chao Phraya Sky Park

    Bangkok's take on the High Line is a park on a traffic bridge above the iconic Chao Phraya River.

  • Passu Suspension Bridge

    Passu, Pakistan

    Passu Suspension Bridge

    Unrefined, uneven, and unstable—this is the real McCoy of Pakistani suspension bridges.

  • The Vulcan bridge

    Vulcan, West Virginia

    Vulcan Bridge

    This rural bridge gave the government of West Virginia a red scare.

  • The Holborn Viaduct as seen from Farringdon Street.

    London, England

    Holborn Viaduct

    London’s first road overpass is so old that it was originally built for horse-drawn carriages.

  • The Old Marriage House

    Coldstream, Scotland

    Coldstream Marriage House

    This Scottish tollhouse was a destination for clandestine marriages in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

See Fewer Ads

Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads

Become a Member