The bridge, also known as the Broken Bridge, is a famous bridge built in the Middle Ages and has been included in the World Heritage Site. Originally built between 1171 and 1185, the bridge spans the Rhone River and was the only bridge downstream of the Long River for a long time, the main passage between merchants and Catholic pilgrims between Spain and Italy. The bridge, which is about 900 metres long, was often hit by floods in the past and was eventually destroyed by floodwaters in 1668 after a mega-flood, which it could no longer be used, and it has since been abandoned and no one has tried to repair it. Surviving arches have also collapsed or been demolished, and the original 22 arches have only four preserved, making them today's "broken bridges".