Paris Passerelle Jim Morrison bridge Port de l'Arsenal
Although it never had an official name from construction, this Paris bridge crosses a canal at the Port de l'Arsenal rather than the River Seine, and hence why it is not often mentioned, yet often referred to as the Passerelle Mornay, this was officially changed to Passerelle Jim Morrison.
History before the Passerelle Jim Morrison
There were numerous construction projects and embellishments that came about in Paris during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the construction of the Canal Saint-Martin was one of these.
The idea was to provide a link between the River Seine and the Canal de l'Ourcq, which would enable large quantities of goods and building materials, etc to be transported easily through Paris using barges rather than road.
A basin was also constructed to enable easy loading and offloading of the barges, which was named the Port de l'Arsenal after the area where there was the French royal arsenal from the Bastille fortress, and these were eventually finished by 1825.
Now as you can imagine, this meant that bridges were going to be needed in order to cross from one side to the other, and over the following years several Paris bridges were constructed over the Canal Saint-Martin with the first being the Pont Morland that acted as a floodgate bridge between the Port de l'Arsenal and the River Seine.
When it comes to virtually the middle of the port area, it was decided that a footbridge was required to go between Boulevard Bourdon in the 4th Arrondissement to the Boulevard de la Bastille in the 12th Arrondissement as an extension of the Rue Mornay.
It was decided that a metal bridge called a truss bridge would be constructed at this point, which leads from the Eastern bank right by the Jardin du Port de l'Arsenal to the Western bank, yet there is much confusion about when exactly this Paris bridge was constructed with some places stating 1825 at the completion of the port basin and other places not until as late as 1895.
However, when this Paris footbridge was completed it was never given an official name and was normally just referred to as La Passerelle, which translates to The footbridge in English, or the Passerelle Mornay after the road that joins it, or Passerelle de l'Arsenal due to its location, although Passerelle Mornay was more widely recognised.
Jim Morrison prior to the Paris Passerelle Jim Morrison bridge
Many people will know the name Jim Morrison, as he was an American singer, songwriter, plus even an avid poet, and he was the lead vocalist and primary song-writer for the rock band called The Doors.
Unfortunately, living a rather bohemian style of life with drink and drugs, although he was classed as a sex symbol and had a profound influence in rock culture, he ended up in lots of trouble, and after being arrested and convicted in 1970, decided to go to Paris as a way to distance himself from music and the fame that had come with it.
The idea while in Paris was to focus on his writing and poetry and initially Jim Morrison stayed at the luxury Hotel George V located within the Golden Triangle before moving in with his partner Pamela Courson.
His stay in Paris was short lived, as unfortunately Jim Morrison was found dead in his bath, and there is much speculation along with conspiracy theories and so forth regarding his death, but there was never a definitive conclusion and he was buried at Pere Lachaise Cemetery, with his grave now being a pilgrimage site for many and one of the most visited graves in the cemetery.
About the Paris Passerelle Jim Morrison bridge
Due to these facts and the time Jim Morrison had spent in Paris, after discussions, the Paris city council decided in February 2025 to give the Passerelle Mornay an official name and the name chosen was the Passerelle Jim Morrison.
It was also decided that the naming ceremony of the Passerelle Jim Morrison bridge would take place sixty years after the formation of The Doors, which of course is 2025 and the date chosen for this tribute and ceremony was the 11th April 2025.
Even though it was a relatively small dedication ceremony there were several musicians, fans and dignitaries present including Anne Hildalgo, the Mayor of Paris, who gave a speech and also read out letters of thanks from Jim Morrison's brother and sister among others, which was in appreciation of the recognition.
Since the event, it was also decided that the Passerelle Jim Morrison bridge would undergo some renovation works including removing the old lead paint and repainting with anti-corrosion paint in order to continue to preserve the footbridge for many more years to come. Additionally, instead of the concrete walkway, this is being replaced with a wooden deck, which is more in keeping with the surroundings.
Now, you will find that the Paris Passerelle Jim Morrison bridge at Port de l'Arsenal is also a fantastic place to view the Port de l'Arsenal Marina, which since the 1980s has become a leisure marina, where you will find around 200 pleasure craft moored and looking in one direction as though towards the River Seine you can see the lock and the Pont Morland bridge.
Yet in the opposite direction is more of leisure marina along with a dock for the Canauxrama Canal Saint-Martin pleasure cruises, and further on is another lock and the Place de la Bastille, which is the square in Paris where the Canal Saint-Martin travels underneath, and this is one of the famous historical Paris squares which is home to the Colonne de Juillet, or July Column as it translates to in English, which can be seen from the Paris Passerelle Jim Morrison bridge.
Visiting the Paris Passerelle Jim Morrison bridge
As we mentioned earlier, the Paris Passerelle Jim Morrison bridge at Port de l'Arsenal goes over the Canal Saint-Martin, and it goes from the Boulevard Bourdon, which is in the 4th Arrondissement over to the Boulevard de la Bastille, which is situated in the 12th Arrondissement.
Now when it comes to getting to this footbridge via Paris public transport, the nearest Paris Metro stations are the Quai de la Rapee stop serving line 5 that is near to the Pont Morland bridge and the River Seine, or you have the Bastille stop serving lines 1, 5 and 8 by the Place de la Bastille.
Yet there are also the Paris bus lines with bus line 72 being the closest to the Passerelle Jim Morrison by the Pont Morland or at the opposite end of the Port de l'Arsenal there is the Bastille stop serving bus lines 29, 87 and 91 along with the Noctilien Night Bus Service via lines N01, N11 and N16 and these will also get you within easy walking distance of the leisure marina, the Jardin du Port d'Arsenal and the Paris Passerelle Jim Morrison bridge.
