Located in a protected Natura 2000 site and Zone Naturelle d?Intérêt Faunistique et Floristique, it was built over the river La Gartempe by the Compagnie du Paris-Orléans between 1852 and 1854, using stone cut from blue granite. It is 54.60 m high, 187 m long and comprises 12 arches on 2 levels. Up to 2,000 workers (earthworkers, carpenters, quarrymen, masons, blacksmiths) from the local area and other nationalities (Belgians, Italians) worked on it. The work cost 1.5 million gold francs.
