The Briare Canal (french: Canal de Briare, ) is one of the oldest
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...
s in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Its construction started in 1604. It was the first
summit level canal
A summit-level canal is an artificial waterway connecting two separate river valleys. The term refers to a canal that rises to cross a summit then falls down the other side. The summit pound is a level stretch of water at the highest part of the ...
in Europe that was built using
pound locks, connecting the
Rhone-
Saône
The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île.
The name d ...
and
Seine
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributa ...
valleys. It is long and is part of the
Bourbonnais route The Bourbonnais route is a connection of four canals in France from Saint-Mammès on the Seine to Chalon-sur-Saône on the Saône River: It includes the Canal du Loing, Canal de Briare, Canal latéral à la Loire, and Canal du Centre.
History
...
from
Saint-Mammès on the
Seine
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributa ...
to
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; h ...
on the
Saône
The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île.
The name d ...
.
From
Briare
Briare (, also known as Briare-le-Canal) is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France, in the historical region of Puisaye. The composer and organist Henri Nibelle (1883–1967) was born in Briare.
Briare, the ''Brivodorum'' of ...
to
Buges
Buges is a village in the commune of Corquilleroy, Loiret department in north-central France. It is near Montargis and Châlette-sur-Loing. This is the location of the joining of the three canals, Canal d'Orléans, Canal du Loing, and Canal d ...
, the canal rises through the first 12 locks some and then falls through the remaining 24 locks.
Construction
The canal was initiated by
Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully, with support from
Henry IV in order to develop the
grain trade
The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...
, and to reduce food shortages. Its construction started in 1604 and was completed in 1642. Between 6,000 and 12,000 labourers worked on this canal which connects the basins of the rivers
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
and
Seine
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributa ...
.
Hugues Cosnier Hugues Cosnier () was a French engineer who conceived of the Briare Canal who was born in Tours, 1573, and died in 1629. in Paris
He proposed to Henri IV the idea of building a canal from the Loire River to the River Seine. It would go from Briar ...
obtained the contract to build the second canal crossing a watershed in Europe, involving many more locks than on the first. It was thus necessary to use locks. A staircase of seven locks was built in
Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses
Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. The name of the commune comes from its impressive seven locks on Briare Canal.
Geography
The commune is located some west of ...
. (This was bypassed in 1887 but is preserved as an ancient monument and floodlit at night.)
After
Henri IV's assassination,
Hugues Cosnier Hugues Cosnier () was a French engineer who conceived of the Briare Canal who was born in Tours, 1573, and died in 1629. in Paris
He proposed to Henri IV the idea of building a canal from the Loire River to the River Seine. It would go from Briar ...
had to give up work in 1611. In 1638,
Guillaume Boutheroue
Guillaume Boutheroue was a French engineer who completed the Briare Canal, originated by Hugues Cosnier.
In 1623, he was the Poor Rate and Tax Collector at Beaugency.
In 1638, along with his brother-in-law Jacques Guyon, he obtained letters pa ...
and
Jacques Guyon
Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are ove ...
applied to resume work, and received letters patent from
Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crow ...
for this purpose. They created with other nobles the ''Compagnie des seigneurs du canal de Loyre en Seine'' and work was completed by 1642.
Reservoirs were dug to supply the approximately 2000 cubic meters of water displaced at each lock. They include the reservoirs of Turfs, Chesnoy, Grand-rû, Tilery, Du Chateau, Cahauderie, Beaurois, the Bourdon reservoir, and the Moutiers reservoir on the Loing. The original source of water was the
Étang de la Gazonne
'','' ( en, "Grassy Pond"), is a lake that provides water for the workings of the Canal de Briare.
Hugues Cosnier, designer of the canal, planned a waterway from the River Trezée to the Gazonne. The Gazonne acted as a reservoir.
Reference ...
.
Usage
By the mid 18th century more than 500 wine barges were in use bringing wines from the
Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
,
Mâcon
Mâcon (), historically anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the prefecture of the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home to near 34,000 residents, who are referred to in French as M ...
,
Beaujolais
Beaujolais ( , ) is a French ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) wine generally made of the Gamay grape, which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which mak ...
,
Sancerre
Sancerre () is a medieval hilltop town (ville) and commune in the Cher department, France overlooking the river Loire. It is noted for its wine.
History
Located in the area of Gaul settled by the powerful Celtic (Gaule Celtique) tribe, the B ...
, and
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
regions. Other cargoes included firewood, timber, coal and iron,
faïence
Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ...
from
Nevers
Nevers ( , ; la, Noviodunum, later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is the prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the principal city of the ...
and fruit from the
Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
. All hauling was done by men, generally two to a boat.
Shortages of water in the reservoirs and Loire valley often resulted in 2–3 months closure per year.
Modifications
The canal was repurchased by the State in 1860.
In periods of drought the canal's reservoirs were insufficient to keep the canal full of water, therefore in 1894 and 1895 a
pumping station
Pumping stations, also called pumphouses in situations such as drilled wells and drinking water, are facilities containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure system ...
was built to pump water into the summit pound.
The
Briare aqueduct
The Briare Aqueduct in central France carries the Canal latéral à la Loire over the river Loire on its journey to the Seine. It replaced a river-level crossing from the canal to meet the Briare Canal that was hazardous in times of flood. Betwee ...
built over the Loire in
Briare
Briare (, also known as Briare-le-Canal) is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France, in the historical region of Puisaye. The composer and organist Henri Nibelle (1883–1967) was born in Briare.
Briare, the ''Brivodorum'' of ...
between 1890 and 1896 by the engineer Abel Mazoyer is part of the
Canal latéral à la Loire, and replaced the old line of that canal, built between 1820 and 1830.
En route
*
PK 57 Connection with
Canal du Loing
The Canal du Loing () is a 49.4 km long canal which connects the Seine at Saint-Mammès to the Briare Canal just north of Montargis, in central France. It runs through the Loiret and Seine-et-Marne ''départements''.
History
Philippe II, ...
and the (disused)
Canal d'Orleans at
Buges
Buges is a village in the commune of Corquilleroy, Loiret department in north-central France. It is near Montargis and Châlette-sur-Loing. This is the location of the joining of the three canals, Canal d'Orléans, Canal du Loing, and Canal d ...
.
*PK 56.7 Aqueduct over the river
Solin
*PK 52
Montargis
Montargis () is a commune in the Loiret department, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
Montargis is the seventh most populous commune in the Loiret, after Orléans and its suburbs. It is near a large forest, and contains light industry and farming, ...
*PK 40
Montcresson
Montcresson () is a commune in the Loiret
Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a ...
*PK 35
Montbouy
Montbouy () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.
Geography
The Aveyron river flows into the Loing in the commune.
History
Neolithic artefacts have been found on each side of the Loing river, downstream from Montbouy ...
*PK 29
Châtillon-Coligny
Châtillon-Coligny () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.
The Loing and the Briare Canal run through the town.
Sights and monuments
* Château de Châtillon-Coligny
Notable people
*Gaspard I de Coligny (c.1465-152 ...
(
12th-century castle)
*PK 19
Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses
Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. The name of the commune comes from its impressive seven locks on Briare Canal.
Geography
The commune is located some west of ...
*PK 8
Ouzouër-sur-Trézée
*PK 1
Briare
Briare (, also known as Briare-le-Canal) is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France, in the historical region of Puisaye. The composer and organist Henri Nibelle (1883–1967) was born in Briare.
Briare, the ''Brivodorum'' of ...
*PK 0 Baraban entrance lock from the river
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
and junction with the old line of the
Canal latéral à la Loire in Briare.
See also
*
Briare aqueduct
The Briare Aqueduct in central France carries the Canal latéral à la Loire over the river Loire on its journey to the Seine. It replaced a river-level crossing from the canal to meet the Briare Canal that was hazardous in times of flood. Betwee ...
*
List of canals in France
This is a list of the navigable canals and rivers in France. For reference purposes, all waterways are listed, including many that have been abandoned for navigation, mostly in the period 1925-1955, but some in later years. Although several source ...
References
External links
Canal de Briarewith maps and information on places, ports and moorings on the canal, by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', 8th ed., 2010, Imray
Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals(French waterways website section)
{{Authority control
Canals in France
Canals opened in 1642
1642 establishments in France