L'Aqueduc de Louveciennes (Louveciennes Aqueduct), sometimes called Aqueduc de Marly (Marly Aqueduct) is an aqueduct built in the 17th century under the reign of

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

, located in

Louveciennes Louveciennes () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, between Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and adjacent to Marly-le-Roi. Population ...

(now in the French département of the

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Monument historique since 1953. It was a part of the hydraulic network intended to provide water for the Château de Marly and the

Gardens of Versailles The Gardens of Versailles (french: Jardins du château de Versailles ) occupy part of what was once the ''Domaine royal de Versailles'', the royal demesne of the château of Versailles. Situated to the west of the palace, the gardens cover so ...

from the Seine river, using a huge pump called the

Machine de Marly The Machine de Marly, also known as the Marly Machine or the Machine of Marly, was a large hydraulic system in Yvelines, France, built in 1684 to pump water from the river Seine and deliver it to the Palace of Versailles.Thompson 2006, p. 251 ...

. The aqueduct consists of 36 arches.From the Information board on the Aqueduct site. Its length is 643m for a width varying from 2 to 4.4m, and a height from 10 to 20 metres.cfm? Id=s0001987 The aqueduct of Louveciennes on Structurae
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History

It was built by Jules Hardouin-Mansard, then Robert de Cotte, from 1681 to 1685.Service régional de l'inventaire of Ile-de-France, general registry of the cultural heritage, French ministry of Culture, Base Mérimée IA00050205, in 1986 A monumental machine, called the machine de Marly, situated on the Seine river at

Bougival Bougival () is a suburban commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located west from the centre of Paris, on the left bank of the River Seine, on the departmental border with Hauts-de-Seine. ...

, pumped water out of the river with the help of 14 paddle wheels. By pipes put on two paved inclines, the water was pumped up the 126 metres of the hill of Louveciennes. The water flowed into the reservoir at the summit of the tour du Levant ("East tower") at the north-eastern end of the aqueduct. Using gravity by a one metre wide and two metres deep canal, sealed inside with lead, the water was directed toward the tour du Jongleur ("tower of the Juggler") at the southern end of the aqueduct. From there, a siphon ensured the supply of a reservoir called réservoir des Deux Portes and the nearby tanks of Marly and Louveciennes. The aqueduct was retired from service in 1866 and replaced by underground pipes. During the

Siege of Paris (1870-1871) Siege of Paris may refer to: * Siege of Paris (845), the Viking siege by Reginherus, possibly Ragnar Lodbrok * Siege of Paris (885–886), the Viking siege by Rollo * Siege of Paris (978), by Otto II of Germany *Siege of Paris (1429), by Charles VI ...

, the tour du Levant was used as an observation point by the future German emperor

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

and the chancellor Bismarck. This tower was renovated between 1998 and 2000.

Gallery

File:Aqueduc de Louveciennes tour du Levant.jpg, La tour du Levant, at the northern end and where the water came from the Machine de Marly. File:Louveciennes Aqueduc2.JPG, Arches of the aqueduct, north-east side, not far away from the tour du Levant. File:Aqueduc de Louveciennes arches coté sud-ouest.jpg, Arches on the south-east side, not far away from the tour du Jongleur. File:Aqueduc de Louveciennes tour du Jongleur.jpg, La tour du Jongleur, at the south end where a siphon brought water to the tanks of Marly and Louveciennes.

Notes and references

Sources

* Translation of the French article {{DEFAULTSORT:Aqueduc De Louveciennes Palace of Versailles Aqueducts in France

History

Gallery

See also

Notes and references

Sources