Louis Didier Jousselin

Louis Didier Jousselin (1 April 1776 – 3 December 1858) was a French engineer. He built a three-kilometre-long bridge in less than three months during the Siege of Hamburg in 1813. His name is one of the 72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower. His father was a lawyer who was also interested in politics. Jousselin was successfully admitted as one of the first students at the École Polytechnique, where he graduated two years later. After becoming a qualified engineer

Siege of Hamburg

By 1811 the canal had been completed and Jousselin was appointed Chief Engineer for Hamburg; a city that was then under French control. He fortified the town and was recognised for the role he played in securing the city whilst it was under siege by the Russian Army and in containing a population who were not supportive of the French invaders.

Jousselin built a bridge which was useful to those defending the siege. Marshal Davout needed to get supplies across the River Elbe. His advisors advised that boats were the only solution. Jousselin was summoned and he said he could build a bridge in three months if he was given every material he would ask for. The Marshal agreed to the commitment. The bridge was not only built, but built well within the time that Jousselin had estimated. However, in Orléans, Chief Engineer Jousselin built quays around the mouth of the Loire. He is credited with saving the inhabitants of Orléans from the floods of 1846, 1856 and 1867; a street was named in his honour. His name is on the side opposite the Grenelle. A primary school in Vienne-en-Val is named in his honour.

Jousselin's elder brother Alexandre Louis Jousselin, who was also a qualified bridge engineer, outlived him. He was the chief engineer for the Seine-et-Marne region and he built a bridge over the River Seine at Paris. Some called Alexandre Jousselin Scared, as he was sickly and timid, to differentiate him from Louis Didier who they nicknamed, Jousselin Scary. Effectively Jousselin was tall and had an imposing physical stature.