Passerelle de Saint Jacques de Thouars

Crossing the Thouet between Thouars and Saint Jacques de Thouars, we find the trace of a bridge in the Middle Ages. A ferry succeeded it until the 19th century to link Thouars to the Saint Jacques suburb. A first wire suspension bridge was built in 1847 but did not open to traffic until 15 July 1848. A toll is established. Very badly maintained, it deteriorates very quickly and collapses in January 1890 during a hurricane. The reconstruction was entrusted in 1896 to the Cail company, an engineer well known in our region for his steam locomotive and steel constructions. Destroyed again by the German armies in August 1944, it was rebuilt identically in 1950.