The Riqueval Tunnel is a -long tunnel on the

St. Quentin Canal The Canal de Saint-Quentin () is a canal in northern France connecting the canalised river Scheldt, Escaut in Cambrai to the Canal latéral à l'Oise and Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne in Chauny. History The canal was built in two phases, the second ...

, close to the commune of Bellicourt, in the department of Aisne, France. It connects Bellicourt with

Bony Bony may refer to: * Adjective relating to bone People * Bony Dashaco, Cameroonian businessman * Bony King, Belgian singer-songwriter * Bony Pierre (born 1991), Haitian footballer * Bony Ramirez (born 1996), Dominican-born American painter and ...

. It was constructed as part of the St Quentin Canal between 1801 and 1810, on the orders of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

The tunnel remains in use, and can be traversed using a

chain boat A chain boat,John MacGregor (1867). ''The voyage alone in the yawl "Rob Roy": from London to Paris, and back etc.'', London: Maranda merrill, Son and Marston, pp. 97-99. chain tug or chain-ship was a type of river craft, used in the second half o ...

. Along with the Mauvages tunnel, on the

Marne–Rhine Canal The Canal de la Marne au Rhin (, ''Marne–Rhine Canal'') is a canal in north-eastern France. It connects the river Marne and the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne in Vitry-le-François with the port of Strasbourg on the Rhine. The original o ...

, it is one of the last locations in the world where a system of chain towing is still in operation. It was the longest tunnel in the world until the construction of Biassa II tunnel,

La Spezia La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguria ...

, Italy.Oskar Teubert: ''Die Binnenschiffahrt – Ein Handbuch für alle Beteiligten'', Band 2, Verlag Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig 1918, 4. Teil, Abschnitt III., ''Schiffszug'', 4. Das Schleppen an der Kette oder am Seil, Seite 268–287amerikanischer Ehrenfriedhof Bellicourt

External links

Official site of navigable canals in France (French)

* M. M. PUGIN: ''L’histoire du Canal de Saint-Quentin'' Dans: Mémoires numérisés, Tome XXVII, 1982, Page 43-60
PDF

Video about Riqueval Tunnel and its area (French)

References

{{s-end Tunnels in France Canal tunnels in France