The Glow of Paris

Send us Fan Mail Pont de Bir-Hakeim: A Bridge of Steel, Cinema and French Resilience Episode description: The Pont de Bir-Hakeim is one of Paris's most extraordinary bridges—a spectacular double-decker structure where Metro Line 6 crosses the Seine above a procession of cast-iron columns. But the bridge has a story that goes far beyond its striking architecture. Originally built as the Pont d...

Send us Fan Mail Under the night glow of Notre Dame and Hôtel de Ville lies a bridge with no pillar in the water — and two stories fighting for its name. In this episode of The Glow of Paris Podcast, we uncover the mysteries, myths, and moments of courage behind the Pont d’Arcole, from Napoleon’s charge at Arcole to the liberation of Paris in 1944.   Watch the story behind the Napoleonic legend.

Send us Fan Mail A cinematic journey across one of Paris’s most poetic bridges.   The Pont Mirabeau — completed in 1896 — stands at the crossroads of engineering innovation, sculptural beauty, and literary immortality. From its pioneering steel arch to the allegorical bronzes of Jean Antoine Injalbert, the bridge reflects a city in transition. But it was Guillaume Apollinaire who transformed it in...

Send us Fan Mail  Welcome to The Glow of Paris Podcast. Today, we learn about the Pont de l’Alma, a bridge that is a monument to imperial French victories, an unofficial Parisian weather station, a symbol of Franco-American friendship, and the site of one of the most shocking tragedies of the 20th century. So join me as we walk along the Pont de l’Alma and discover its secrets. 

Send us Fan Mail This episode explores the Pont de Tolbiac — a modest Paris bridge with an extraordinary past.   From the Battle of Tolbiac in 496 AD to its role in 19th century engineering and the WWII crash of a Free French bomber, the bridge connects centuries of history, memory, and meaning.

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 2 of The Glow of Paris , Gary Zuercher explores the history of the Pont Saint-Michel , one of the most storied bridges spanning the Seine River. First built in 1378 and once lined with medieval houses, the bridge has been destroyed by ice and floods, rebuilt in stone, and redesigned in 1857 during the modernization of Paris under Napoleon III and Georges-Eugène Haussman...

Send us Fan Mail The Glow of Paris – Episode 1 The Pont d’Austerlitz: A Bridge of Empire and Liberation In this first full episode of The Glow of Paris, Gary Zuercher begins a 35-month journey exploring the history, drama, and beauty of the bridges that span the Seine River through the heart of Paris. We begin with the Pont d’Austerlitz — a bridge born in the glory of Napoleon’s greatest military...

Send us Fan Mail The Glow of Paris Podcast   Step onto the storied bridges of Paris and into the centuries of drama, beauty, and intrigue they’ve silently witnessed. The Glow of Paris Podcast uncovers the riveting histories of all 35 bridges that cross the Seine in Paris—one bridge at a time, over the next three years. From ancient Roman engineering to medieval commerce, from royal processions to...