BATTAMBANG: Nine years after the French established power in Battambang in 1907, they built a bridge in honor of the governor of French Indochina, the Pont du Albert Sarraut.
According to the Battambang Department of Tourism, the bridge was the first to cross the Sangke River and stands to this day. Nowadays locals refer to it as the Old Stone Bridge after similar bridges were later built.
The Battambang bridge 108 years old and is located in front of the Battambang Museum of History (formerly the Battambang Provincial Hall) across the Sangke River. Built in 1916 (some documents say 1917) the bridge is made of concrete in the French colonial style.
Stone lions guard the western entrance to the bridge and the famous Khmer poet Kong Bunchhoeun wrote about the bridge in many of his works. Due to its age and condition, cars and motorbikes have not been allowed on the bridge since 2020. The administration therefore built the parallel 13 Makara Bridge for traffic.
The Old Stone Bridge on Street 135 remains as a peaceful spot for locals and tourists alike to stroll along the river and enjoy the evening air. People can also be seen exercising, sitting quietly and taking advantage of the photo opportunities the bridge provides.
