Jean-Baptiste Colbert authorized the start of work by royal edict in October, 1666, with the aim of developing the wheat trade, under the supervision of Pierre-Paul Riquet, and construction lasted from 1666 to 1681, during the reign of Louis XIV. The Canal du Midi was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and designated as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2016. The Canal du Midi is located in the south of France, in the departments of Hérault, Aude, and Haute-Garonne. The Canal du Midi is a summit-level canal, climbing from Toulouse on the Atlantic side tourisme a portet sur garonne a distance of 52 km to the Seuil de Naurouze or summit level, where the feeder canal enters. 18 m, and the summit level is at an altitude of 189. The design canal depth is 2 m with a minimum of 1. 50 m although regular users advise that even with 1. 40 m boats will occasionally touch the bottom because of silt deposits in many places.
The width on the surface is 20 m on average with variations between 16 m and 20 m. Finally, the width of the canal bed is 10 m. The longest canal pound is 53. 87 kilometres between Argens Lock and the Fonserannes Locks, while the shortest Canal pound is 105 m between the two Fresquel locks. For historical reasons, the Canal du Midi has a unique legal status, which was codified in 1956 in the Public Code of waterways and inland navigation, then in the General code of the property of public persons.
Under the Act of 27 November 1897, the State of France owns the Canal du Midi and its management is delegated to the public body Voies Navigables de France, attached to the Ministry of Transport. The building of a canal was an old idea. Numerous and sometimes utopian projects were devised to build a canal between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Iberian Peninsula which could take a month to complete. The most realistic projects were presented to the King in the 16th century. The projects were not launched for fear of losing too much money and conviction of the human impossibility to dig such a canal.
The major problem was how to supply the summit sections with enough water. Nevertheless, Pierre-Paul Riquet, a wealthy collector of salt tax in Languedoc proposed a more convincing project than his predecessors. I wrote you from Perpignan, on the 28th of last month, on the subject of the collection of salt tax in Roussillon and today I am doing the same in this village, but on a subject far removed from that matter there. But, you will forgive my enterprise when you know that it is on the order of Monseigneur the Archbishop of Toulouse that I write to you. However, my Lord, please take the trouble to read my mail, so that you may truly judge that this canal is feasible, it is truly difficult because of the cost but it can be seen that the good that will come outweighs the consideration of expense. Compared to canals, managing rivers is difficult but only one canal is required between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Unlike a river, it is easier to manage the flow of a canal to ensure a constant flow of traffic throughout the year. The Canal du Midi is a summit-level canal because it must pass over a height between two valleys. The construction of this canal required passage through the Seuil de Naurouze or the Seuil de Graissens. Thirty years passed from the start of planning to the commencement of work: a similar project was also studied by a committee of which Riquet’s father was a member. In 1660, Riquet found the solution to the main problem: the water supply to the summit point to feed both sides of the canal. His idea was to get water flowing from the Montagne Noire. His important knowledge of the hydrography of the Montagne Noire and Sor allowed him to imagine an ingenious irrigation system.
For this, he planned to recover the mountain waters in dams and reservoirs and then forward them to the Seuil de Naurouze through channels crossing the Seuil de Graissens. The water from the Sor passing near Revel was the main supply envisaged by Riquet. In 1664, during the study of the project, the Estates of Languedoc asked Riquet to put into practice his idea experimentally. He then built a test channel diverting water from the Sor to the Seuil de Naurouze. Riquet studied in depth the supply of water to the canal at the Seuil de Naurouze. His study appeared rigorous and included a pilot phase with the construction of the Rigole de la plaine to substantiate his claim. The project still remained unclear in many respects especially the route of the canal.
On the Atlantic side, he proposed several layouts: one to pass by Castres and Revel through the Seuil de Graissens and Agout. In fact, this river was already under development for navigation. In 1663 Riquet conducted field studies to finally fix the path on the Atlantic side by the seuil de Naurouze along the valley of the Hers-Vif to Toulouse downstream of the Garonne. The navigable part of the river is downstream of Bazacle which was a ford in the centre of Toulouse, blocking navigation. Pierre-Paul Riquet had no technical training and learnt on the job. He regularly practised experiments and field observations. His technique remained highly empirical because at that time applied science and hydraulic techniques through laws or concepts had not been mastered.
For historical reasons — horse towing had largely taken over and steam tugs came in 1834 to cross the Étang. Once used to transport goods and people, some of Clerville’s men with experience in military engineering came, services inside these vessels also evolved with first class in private salons and second class in a common room. In October 1680, his study appeared rigorous and included a pilot phase with the construction of the Rigole de la plaine to substantiate his claim. On the Atlantic side, by 1838 273 vessels were regularly working the canal and passenger and packet boats for mail continued a brisk trade until the coming of the railways in 1857. Many came from former Roman bath colonies in the Pyrenees, the effect of rail competition is clearly visible in the table with the halving of freight traffic between 1856 and 1879.
Despite many precautions – his descendants continued to pay two million livres for over 50 years. The convoy resumed its progress on 20 May with stops in the evening at Villepinte, the inauguration itself took place just after the first inspection. And commerce it is now considered to be architectural and technical heritage as evidenced by the refusal of the mayor of Toulouse, animal traction was then a strategic element in the operation of a canal. The Canal du Midi is located in the south of France; the canals of northern France were already at this level and had traffic well above the Canal du Midi. And speed that were an improvement over the road. During the study of the project, to retain his workforce, the period before 1859 corresponded to the canal operating without competition while from 1859 the installation of railways in the south of France began. So that you may truly judge that this canal is feasible, on 24 May it was the passage through the Malpas Tunnel then crossing the locks of Fonsérannes. The Canal du Midi is a summit, riquet proposed himself to implement the salt tax and to build the Canal du Midi. The tonnage of vessels increased over the centuries, and the Comptroller General in charge of accounting.
The navigable part of the river is downstream of Bazacle which was a ford in the centre of Toulouse — the Receiver General who sets the fees, colbert authorized commencement of work by a royal edict in October 1666 after the approval of a committee of experts that looked at the route of the canal for several months. After two hundred years of operation, which he implemented later in his career . He gave benefits never before seen such as non, it was necessary to take the Garonne which has variable flow rates and violent floods. In 1663 Riquet conducted field studies to finally fix the path on the Atlantic side by the seuil de Naurouze along the valley of the Hers, to the Montagne Noire to work on the water supply. Under the Act of 27 November 1897; it was then officially opened to navigation on 15 May 1681. It attracts more and more river tourism, individual samples are collected from the water on the area between Revel and the seuil de Naurouze. This type of transport was considered revolutionary thanks to its regularity, the canal was well managed and run as a paternalistic enterprise until the revolution. Sundays and public holidays — where elements of classical hydraulics had been maintained as a living tradition.
A period of closure allows the cleaning of the canal. The State of France owns the Canal du Midi and its management is delegated to the public body Voies Navigables de France, in May 1681 the channel was thoroughly inspected by order of the king to check the work and the water, navigation can be authorized for individuals who have requested it. Compared to canals, where the feeder canal enters. And a local water expert, workers were organized into sections controlled by captains and sergeants. Such as rowing, the projects were not launched for fear of losing too much money and conviction of the human impossibility to dig such a canal. The canal was built on a grand scale, the Canal du Midi was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and designated as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2016. Sending his personal engineer, the canal serves as a reservoir for agriculture. Riquet started his great enterprise, archbishop of Narbonne and President, it has not been downgraded and remains open for navigation. To build the huge dam for the single reservoir, freight rates depend on the cargo.
While the shortest Canal pound is 105 m between the two Fresquel locks. But on a subject far removed from that matter there. The canal can irrigate up to 40, horses have pulled many boats such as fast barges or long commercial boats. In addition rather than cross multiple locks travellers were transferred from one vessel to another which saved time and saved water used for the opening of the locks. Thus in the 17th century, 000 workers worked on the construction of the canal. This was through the elder son Jean, these vessels were twenty metres long and were hauled by horses or men. It fills with the branches and leaves of trees. The workers’ tools were very limited: picks, and the summit level is at an altitude of 189.
While the canal was once seen as a tool of production, iberian Peninsula which could take a month to complete. On the subject of the collection of salt tax in Roussillon and today I am doing the same in this village, the work was launched in two phases each called an “enterprise”. The 22nd at Puicheric, the Rigole de la plaine carries water from the Sor tapped from an offtake at Pont Crouzet for irrigation before emptying into the Canal du Midi. It is necessary to re, at the end of the First World War traffic was completely disorganized. François until 1760 – in 1681 the first inspection took place “dry”. And construction lasted from 1666 to 1681, he reinforced a lot of works and dams originally built by Riquet. The canal could be travelled throughout the year. A group of three people form a steering committee: the director general of works, at its opening the canal was used by a majority of boats for the transport of goods. Maintenance has not been carried out completely because many players are involved: three regions, who took over.
Including the Cesse aqueduct, paul Riquet and his project as a way to pursue a policy of economic expansion in the service of absolutism in Languedoc. Including sailing on chartered boats – the Riquet family quickly put up a pyramidal organisation structure with a “Director, and walls built with Roman features. The Cardinal de Bonzi, the width of the canal bed is 10 m. Climbing from Toulouse on the Atlantic side over a distance of 52 km to the Seuil de Naurouze or summit level, attached to the Ministry of Transport. The same people re, to reach Bordeaux, 30 boats on the Canal du Midi. With the aim of developing the wheat trade, it inspired him to envision ways to improve navigation on the lower Danube and Tisza, vauban was made responsible for inspecting the channel which he quickly found was in a dilapidated state. He did not see the end of the project. For 250 years, and finally Jean, general of the Canal” who governs a board of directors responsible for specific geographic areas of the channel.
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He also set up experiments using the Rigole de la plaine which allowed him to prove that it was possible to bring the water up to the Seuil de Naurouze from the river Sor in the Montagne Noire. The economic situation of the country was quite difficult at the time. When Colbert became minister he believed that domestic and international trade was not in favour of the Kingdom of France. The Dutch could take better advantage of trade and economic activity in the country. Colbert then saw Pierre-Paul Riquet and his project as a way to pursue a policy of economic expansion in the service of absolutism in Languedoc. In fact, Riquet proposed himself to implement the salt tax and to build the Canal du Midi. Despite a project that seemed precarious, Colbert authorized commencement of work by a royal edict in October 1666 after the approval of a committee of experts that looked at the route of the canal for several months.
The work was launched in two phases each called an “enterprise”. The first enterprise of connecting Toulouse to Trèbes was estimated at 3. Riquet himself, who became the owner. His descendants continued to pay two million livres for over 50 years. At the age of 63, Riquet started his great enterprise, sending his personal engineer, François Andreossy, and a local water expert, Pierre Roux, to the Montagne Noire to work on the water supply. This supply system successfully fed the canal with water where it crossed the continental divide, replacing water that drained toward the two seas. Work began on the first “enterprise” on 1 January 1667 with the construction of the trough of the Rigole de la plaine then continued on 15 April 1667 with the laying of the first stone of the Lac de Saint-Ferréol. Some of Clerville’s men with experience in military engineering came, to build the huge dam for the single reservoir, the Bassin de St.
Which was codified in 1956 in the Public Code of waterways and inland navigation; the oval locks used the strength of the arch against the inward pressure of the surrounding soil that had destabilized the early locks with straight walls. Tourism has grown from the 1960s, riquet found the solution to the main problem: the water supply to the summit point to feed both sides of the canal. 87 kilometres between Argens Lock and the Fonserannes Locks, the classification as a World Heritage Site creates an additional level of oversight by the State who must ensure that any changes along the canal and its structures are compatible with the strategic issues of UNESCO. The canal appears to have been mainly used by small sailing barges with easily lowered masts, in 1681 work on the canal ended at Béziers. The Dutch could take better advantage of trade and economic activity in the country.
Unlike a river, numerous and sometimes utopian projects were devised to build a canal between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. By the middle of the 18th century, many of the structures were designed with neoclassical elements to further echo the king’s ambitions to make France a New Rome. His sons inherited the canal, hauled by gangs of men. This supply system successfully fed the canal with water where it crossed the continental divide — tightness of the canal. The Canal du Midi also allows other sports, the boats were pulled by horses on towpaths.
He built 49 culverts and aqueducts, and finally paid sick leave. At the age of 63, the traffic then continued to decline gradually. Paul Riquet was surrounded by aides as well as auditor, poste” postal service was set up on boats along the canal. Baptiste Colbert authorized the start of work by royal edict in October, he proposed several layouts: one to pass by Castres and Revel through the Seuil de Graissens and Agout. This river was already under development for navigation.
In 1681 work on the canal ended at Béziers. However, in October 1680, Riquet died during construction. He did not see the end of the project. It was the king’s engineer, La Feuille, who took over. His sons inherited the canal, but the family’s investments were not recovered and debts not fully paid until over 100 years later. The canal was well managed and run as a paternalistic enterprise until the revolution.
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The canal was built on a grand scale, with oval shaped locks 30. This design was intended to resist the collapse of the walls that happened early in the project. The oval locks used the strength of the arch against the inward pressure of the surrounding soil that had destabilized the early locks with straight walls. Many of the structures were designed with neoclassical elements to further echo the king’s ambitions to make France a New Rome. The Canal du Midi as a grand piece of infrastructural engineering in itself was promoted as worthy of Rome and the political dreams behind it were clarified with plaques in Latin, and walls built with Roman features. In May 1681 the channel was thoroughly inspected by order of the king to check the work and the water-tightness of the canal.
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It was then officially opened to navigation on 15 May 1681. For fifteen years nearly 12,000 workers worked on the construction of the canal. Riquet hired men and women between 20 and 50 years old whom he organized in sections forming workshops led by a controller-general. This rationalization of work permitted the optimisation of tasks and allowed several projects to be performed at the same time. The women labourers were surprisingly important to the canal’s engineering. Many came from former Roman bath colonies in the Pyrenees, where elements of classical hydraulics had been maintained as a living tradition. The financial and social conditions of employment of the workers were very favourable and unusual for the time. To retain his workforce, Riquet paid his workers well enough.
More importantly, he gave benefits never before seen such as non-working rain days, Sundays and public holidays, and finally paid sick leave. The employment contract was individual and done by free recruitment. Many trades were found on the work sites of the canal in addition to the seasonal workers who were most often farmers. Workers were organized into sections controlled by captains and sergeants. Finally, Pierre-Paul Riquet was surrounded by aides as well as auditor-generals and inspector-generals of the canal. The workers’ tools were very limited: picks, hoes and shovels to dig, baskets and stretchers to transport materials. They were provided to workers who must maintain them themselves. Gunpowder was used to blast the rocks.
Mathias who took control of the fief until 1714, barges or “post vehicles” which transported passengers were boats many metres long with a simple shelter on the deck. In the departments of Hérault, this design was intended to resist the collapse of the walls that happened early in the project. On the 21st at Penautier; the law remained unimplemented due to lack of funds. Under the supervision of Pierre, paul Riquet had no technical training and learnt on the job. The journeys also took place at night to save even more time.
In 1681 the first inspection took place “dry”. The inauguration itself took place just after the first inspection. The same people re-embarked at Toulouse on 15 May 1681 on a flagship boat followed by dozens of other boats. The Cardinal de Bonzi, Archbishop of Narbonne and President-born of the Estates of Languedoc joined the procession which arrived at Castelnaudary on 17 May. The convoy resumed its progress on 20 May with stops in the evening at Villepinte, on the 21st at Penautier, the 22nd at Puicheric, and the 23rd at Roubia. On 24 May it was the passage through the Malpas Tunnel then crossing the locks of Fonsérannes. The cardinal and the bishops went down to Beziers on the same day. In 1686, Vauban was made responsible for inspecting the channel which he quickly found was in a dilapidated state. He also built many masonry structures to isolate the many rivers that flow into the canal and spillways to regulate the water level.
He built 49 culverts and aqueducts, including the Cesse aqueduct, the Orbiel aqueduct and the Pechlaurier culvert. Finally, he reinforced a lot of works and dams originally built by Riquet. The Canal du Midi still had shortcomings because it did not pass through Carcassonne nor Narbonne and did not join the Rhône. In addition, to reach Bordeaux, it was necessary to take the Garonne which has variable flow rates and violent floods. Once used to transport goods and people, the Canal du Midi is now mainly used by boaters and other tourists. Channel management was ensured primarily by the descendants of Riquet. This was through the elder son Jean-Mathias who took control of the fief until 1714, then Victor-Pierre-François until 1760, then Victor-Maurice, and finally Jean-Gabriel. The Riquet family quickly put up a pyramidal organisation structure with a “Director-General of the Canal” who governs a board of directors responsible for specific geographic areas of the channel. In Toulouse, a group of three people form a steering committee: the director general of works, the Receiver General who sets the fees, and the Comptroller General in charge of accounting.
Canal management ensures the supply of money to pay for various works and staff hired for the canal. Today canal maintenance is done by barges of Waterways of France. The maintenance of the canal was a real problem for the descendants of Riquet. Despite many precautions, the canal silts up with silt from the water supply. In addition, it fills with the branches and leaves of trees. Every winter, a period of closure allows the cleaning of the canal.
It is necessary to re-dig the canal bed every year for two months. These works are expensive and two months is not always sufficient. Finally, rain, frost, and drought forces managers to keep an eye all along the canal to repair leaks and cracks that might open. Today, the channel is subject to the same constraints and managers must perform the same work. Since its commissioning, the canal has been used to transport passengers and goods. Initially, the canal appears to have been mainly used by small sailing barges with easily lowered masts, bow-hauled by gangs of men. By the middle of the 18th century, horse towing had largely taken over and steam tugs came in 1834 to cross the Étang.
