Back قناة دو ميدي Arabic Паўднёвы канал Byelorussian Canal del Migdia Catalan Canal du Midi CEB Canal du Midi Czech Canal du Midi Welsh Canal du Midi Danish Canal du Midi German Κανάλι του Μιντί Greek Sudfranca Kanalo Esperanto
| Canal du Midi | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 240 km (150 mi)[1] |
| Maximum boat length | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Maximum boat beam | 5.50 m (18.0 ft) |
| Locks | 65 (originally 86) |
| Maximum height above sea level | 189 m (620 ft) |
| Minimum height above sea level | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Navigation authority | VNF |
| History | |
| Former names | Canal royal en Languedoc |
| Modern name | Canal du Midi |
| Current owner | State of France |
| Original owner | Pierre-Paul Riquet |
| Principal engineer | Pierre-Paul Riquet |
| Other engineer(s) | Marshal Sebastien Vauban, Louis Nicolas de Clerville, François Andréossy |
| Date approved | 1666 |
| Construction began | 1667 |
| Date of first use | 20 May 1681 |
| Date completed | 15 May 1681 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Toulouse |
| End point | Étang de Thau |
| Beginning coordinates | 43°36′40″N 1°25′06″E / 43.61102°N 1.41844°E |
| Ending coordinates | 43°20′24″N 3°32′23″E / 43.34003°N 3.53978°E Les Onglous Lighthouse |
| Branch of | Canal des Deux Mers |
| Connects to | Garonne Lateral Canal, La Nouvelle branch, Canal de Brienne, Hérault, and Étang de Thau |
| Summit: | Seuil de Naurouze |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iv, vi |
| Reference | 770 |
| Inscription | 1996 (20th Session) |
The Canal du Midi (French pronunciation: [kanal dy midi]; Occitan: Canal del Miègjorn [ka'nal del mjɛdˈd͡ʒuɾ]) is a 240 km (150 mi) long canal in Southern France (French: le Midi). Originally named the Canal Royal en Languedoc (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to Canal du Midi in 1789, the canal is considered one of the greatest construction works of the 17th century.[2]
The canal connects the Garonne to the Étang de Thau on the Mediterranean and, along with the 193 km (120 mi) long Canal de Garonne, forms the Canal des Deux Mers, joining the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
Strictly speaking, "Canal du Midi" refers to the portion initially constructed from Toulouse to the Mediterranean – the Deux-Mers canal project aimed to link together several sections of navigable waterways to join the Mediterranean and the Atlantic: first the Canal du Midi, then the Garonne which was more or less navigable between Toulouse and Bordeaux, then the Garonne Lateral Canal built later, and finally the Gironde estuary after Bordeaux.
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 is one of the oldest canals of Europe still in operation (the prototype being the Briare Canal). The challenges in these works are closely related to the challenges of inland water transport today. The key challenge, raised by Pierre-Paul Riquet, was to convey water from the Montagne Noire (Black Mountains) to the Seuil de Naurouze, the highest point of the canal.
The Canal du Midi was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, because of its outstanding engineering and artistic design, and it was designated as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2016.[3][4]
- ^ "Canal du Midi | Detailed Navigation Guide and Maps". French Waterways. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
- ^ Ultimately the project cost from 17 to 18 million livres which at the time made it the second largest construction in the country after Versailles.
- ^ "Canal du Midi". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ "Canal du Midi Designated as International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark". American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2021.