The footbridge in 1900

The industrial history of Varangéville accelerated during the 19th century with the construction of the Paris - Strasbourg railway line and the digging of the Marne-Rhine canal in the Meurthe valley. Mining then developed. Marchéville Daguin and Rosières Varangéville, two salt companies, set up and each dug a mine. The wells were operational around 1850. 

This development required a large workforce arriving from Poland and Italy. The city extends on one side and the other of the communication routes. Hence the creation of a work of art allowing residents to connect the upper town and the lower town directly. 

Note that a first pedestrian bridge existed on the canal at the time near the Varangéville lock. This building is one of the most remarkable symbols of the city.