Canal du Midi
The 17th century canal across southern France that linked the Atlantic and the Mediterranean via the Garonne.
Overview
Pierre-Paul Riquet persuaded Louis XIV to back a canal from Toulouse to the Etang de Thau near Sete, and work from 1666 to 1681 produced about 240 kilometers of waterway with dozens of locks. Its great engineering problem, supplying water to the summit, was solved by channeling streams from the Montagne Noire into the Saint-Ferreol reservoir. Combined with the Garonne, it created a route between the two seas that avoided the long voyage around Spain. Grain, wine and textiles moved along it until railways took the traffic. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and is now used mostly by pleasure boats.
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