After the last renovation of the Pont Adolphe, the state donated around 200 balustrade posts to the Luxembourg FNEL Scouts and Guides.
The Pont Adolphe, also known as the “New Bridge”, opened for traffic on July 24, 1903. During its most recent renovation between 2014 and 2017, the Luxembourg Roads and Bridges Administration and the Sites and Monuments Authority decided to replace the old balustrades.
There were several reasons for this: Over the years, many had been damaged in car accidents and had been replaced multiple times, resulting in a mismatched appearance. Additionally, metal pins inserted into the posts in the 1960s had caused further damage.
According to Marc Ries, head of the Diekirch Roads Division, this presented the perfect opportunity to replace the old balustrades, originally made from French Pierre d’Euville stone, with new ones made from Luxembourgish sandstone.
“Today, we have the means to shape even hard Luxembourg sandstone, like Ernzener Sandstone, using CNC machines to create the elegant forms we wanted,” Ries explained. “So, in collaboration with the Sites and Monuments Authority, we decided to replace the old balustrades with Luxembourgish stone, producing them with machines.”
Out of the 500 original balustrade posts, 200 survived the replacement process intact. The question then arose: what to do with the undamaged posts? An idea quickly emerged.
“Some people involved in the project also work on Third World initiatives,” said Ries. “They suggested finding an NGO that could use the posts for a charitable purpose.”
Ultimately, the FNEL was chosen to receive the posts, which are now stored in a depot in Bettel, in the municipality of Tandel. The Scouts are planning to organise a special project involving the historic stones.
This type of donation is not uncommon. “It often depends on the individuals involved in a project,” Ries noted. “For example, during the Pont Adolphe renovation, we also used large barriers to protect the construction site and reduce noise and dust from entering the valley below.”
Although the former balustrades of the Pont Adolphe may not have significant material value, they hold sentimental and historical worth, much like pieces of the Berlin Wall. For those interested in history, these posts carry a nostalgic value.
