Historic Bordeaux: The glass roof of the Gare Saint-Jean de Bordeaux
by Anne- Laure Frances
Maybe you will arrive in Bordeaux by train? (Lions Go Green!) In this case, you will have the chance to discover the fabulous glass roof of the Gare Saint Jean de Bordeaux.
The Gare Saint Jean was built in 1855 to develop trains to the South of France. Before, in Bordeaux, trains arrived on the right bank, on the other side of the Garonne, at the so-called Gare d’Orléans (the building is still visible today).
The development of railway transport in the 19th century encouraged the expansion of the Gare Saint Jean, and the glass roof was created in 1898 by the metal construction company Daydé & Pillé. At the same time, the railway bridge, called the Eiffel Bridge, a much more well-known industrial name, was built next to it…
The canopy is still, today, the largest railway canopy in Europe! 296 meters long and 58m wide, it covers an area of 17,310m2!
Since 1984, the station and its glass roof have been listed as historic monuments!
You can admire when you arrive in Bordeaux, this beautifully renovated glass roof between 2014 and 2017! So when you leave your train, take the time to look up and admire this huge glass roof, surely lit by a beautiful Bordeaux sun!
