Briare Canal
Encyclopedia
The Canal de Briare is one of the oldest canal
s in France
. It is the first summit level canal
in Europe that was built using pound locks, connecting the Loire and Seine
valleys. It is 57km long and is part of the Bourbonnais route
from Saint-Mammès
on the Seine
to Chalon-sur-Saône
on the Saône River
.
From Briare
to Buges
, the canal rises through the first 12 locks some 41 m (134.5 ft) and then falls 85 m (278.9 ft) through the remaining 24 locks.
in order to develop the grain trade, and to reduce food shortages. Its construction started in 1604 and was completed in 1642. Between six and twelve thousand workmen worked on this canal which connects the basins of the River Loire and the River Seine. Hugues Cosnier
obtained the contract to build the first canal crossing a watershed in Europe. It was thus necessary to use locks. A staircase of seven locks was built in Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses
. (This was bypassed in 1887 but is preserved as an ancient monument and floodlit at night.)
After Henri IV's assassination, Hugues Cosnier
had to give up work in 1611. In 1638, Guillaume Boutheroue
and Jacques Guyon applied to resume work, and received letters patent from Louis XIII
for this purpose. They created with other nobles the "Compagnie des seigneurs du canal de Loyre en Seine" and work was completed by 1642.
Ponds were dug for the approximately 2000 cubic meters of water displaced at each lock. They include the ponds 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
.
, Beaujolais
, Sancerre
, and Languedoc
regions. Other cargoes included firewood, timber, coal and iron, faïence
from Nevers
and fruit from the Auvergne
. 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.
In periods of drought tha canal's reservoirs were insufficient to keep the canal full of water therefore in 1894 and 1895, a pumping station
was built to pump water into the summit pound.
The Briare aqueduct
was built over the Loire in Briare
between 1890 and 1896 by the engineer Abel Mazoyer to make a connection with the Canal latéral à la Loire
(built in the years 1820 and 1830).
The Briare aqueduct
stands on fourteen piers. These piers support a single metal beam carrying a trough with more than 13,000 tonnes of water, 2.2 meters deep. The width of the aqueduct, towpaths included, is 11.5 meters and its length is 662.7 meters. Eight sluices make it possible to empty the aqueduct in the event of severe freezing.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is the first summit level canal
Summit level canal
A summit level canal is an artificial waterway connecting two separate river valleys. It was an essential step in developing transport systems connecting different parts of a country before the railways or modern road transport....
in Europe that was built using pound locks, connecting the Loire and Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
valleys. It is 57km long and is part of the Bourbonnais route
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 lateral a la Loire, and Canal du Centre.-History:...
from Saint-Mammès
Saint-Mammès
Saint-Mammès is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-External links:* * * *...
on the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
to Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....
on the Saône River
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
.
From Briare
Briare
Briare is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.Briare, the Brivodorum of the Romans, is situated at the extremity of the Briare Canal, which unites the Loire and its lateral canal with the Loing and so with the Seine. The lateral canal of the Loire crosses the Loire near...
to Buges
Buges
Buges is a village in the 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 de Briare....
, the canal rises through the first 12 locks some 41 m (134.5 ft) and then falls 85 m (278.9 ft) through the remaining 24 locks.
Construction
The canal was initiated by Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully, with support from Henry IVHenry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
in order to develop the grain trade, and to reduce food shortages. Its construction started in 1604 and was completed in 1642. Between six and twelve thousand workmen worked on this canal which connects the basins of the River Loire and the River Seine. Hugues Cosnier
Hugues Cosnier
Hugues Cosnier was a French engineer who conceived of the Briare Canal. He was born in Angers or Tours, date unknown, and died in 1629.He proposed to Henri IV the idea of building a canal from the Loire River to the River Seine. It would go from Briare to Montargis and then continue to the Seine...
obtained the contract to build the first canal crossing a watershed in Europe. It was thus necessary to use locks. A staircase of seven locks was built in Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses
Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses
Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.-Geography:The commune is located some west of Auxerre and is crossed by the Loing and the Briare Canal.-References:*...
. (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
Hugues Cosnier was a French engineer who conceived of the Briare Canal. He was born in Angers or Tours, date unknown, and died in 1629.He proposed to Henri IV the idea of building a canal from the Loire River to the River Seine. It would go from Briare to Montargis and then continue to the Seine...
had to give up work in 1611. In 1638, Guillaume Boutheroue
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....
and Jacques Guyon applied to resume work, and received letters patent from Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
for this purpose. They created with other nobles the "Compagnie des seigneurs du canal de Loyre en Seine" and work was completed by 1642.
Ponds were dug for the approximately 2000 cubic meters of water displaced at each lock. They include the ponds 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
Étang de la Gazonne
Étang de la Gazonne, , is a lake that provides water for the workings of the Canal de Briare.Hugues Cosnier, designer of the canal, planned a 3.25 mile long waterway from the River Trezée to the Gazonne. The Gazonne acted as a reservoir.-References:...
.
Usage
By the mid 18th century more than 500 wine barges were in use bringing wines from MâconMâcon
Mâcon is a small city in central France. It is prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department, in the region of Bourgogne, and the capital of the Mâconnais district. Mâcon is home to over 35,000 residents, called Mâconnais.-Geography:...
, Beaujolais
Beaujolais
Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée 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 make up only 1% of its production, are made mostly with Chardonnay grapes...
, Sancerre
Sancerre
Sancerre is a medieval hilltop town , commune and canton in the Cher department of central France overlooking the Loire River. It is noted for its wine.-History:...
, and Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
regions. Other cargoes included firewood, timber, coal and iron, faïence
Faience
Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed pottery on a delicate pale buff earthenware body, originally associated with Faenza in northern Italy. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip...
from Nevers
Nevers
Nevers is a commune in – and the administrative capital of – the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France...
and fruit from the Auvergne
Auvergne (province)
Auvergne was a historic province in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
. 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 tha canal's reservoirs were insufficient to keep the canal full of water therefore in 1894 and 1895, a pumping station
Pumping station
Pumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...
was built to pump water into the summit pound.
The Briare aqueduct
Briare aqueduct
The Briare Aqueduct carries the Canal latéral à la Loire over the River Loire on its journey to the River Seine in France. It replaced a river-level crossing from the canal to meet the Briare Canal that was hazardous in times of flood...
was built over the Loire in Briare
Briare
Briare is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.Briare, the Brivodorum of the Romans, is situated at the extremity of the Briare Canal, which unites the Loire and its lateral canal with the Loing and so with the Seine. The lateral canal of the Loire crosses the Loire near...
between 1890 and 1896 by the engineer Abel Mazoyer to make a connection with the Canal latéral à la Loire
Canal latéral à la Loire
The Canal Latéral à la Loire was constructed between 1827 and 1838 to connect the Canal de Briare at Briare and the Canal du Centre at Digoin, a distance of 196 km. It replaced the use of the River Loire which had reliability problems arising from winter floods and summer droughts...
(built in the years 1820 and 1830).
The Briare aqueduct
Briare aqueduct
The Briare Aqueduct carries the Canal latéral à la Loire over the River Loire on its journey to the River Seine in France. It replaced a river-level crossing from the canal to meet the Briare Canal that was hazardous in times of flood...
stands on fourteen piers. These piers support a single metal beam carrying a trough with more than 13,000 tonnes of water, 2.2 meters deep. The width of the aqueduct, towpaths included, is 11.5 meters and its length is 662.7 meters. Eight sluices make it possible to empty the aqueduct in the event of severe freezing.
En route
- PKPoint kilométriquePoint kilométrique is a French acronym used to measure distances for boundary mileage used mainly in France, on railways, highways, canals, and freeways to help locate a specific location. For example, locations on the Canal du Midi are marked in PK values....
57 Connection with Canal du LoingCanal du LoingThe Canal du Loing is a 49.4 km long canal which connects the Seine to the Briare Canal , in France. It runs through the Loiret and Seine-et-Marne departments....
at BugesBugesBuges is a village in the 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 de Briare....
. At one time, it could connect to the Canal d'OrleansCanal d'OrléansThe Canal d'Orléans connects the Loire River at Orléans to a junction with the Canal du Loing and the Canal de Briare in the village of Buges near Montargis. It is entirely within the department of Loiret....
here. - PK 56.7 Pont canal sur le Solin over the Solin River
- PK 52 MontargisMontargisMontargis is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. The town is located about south of Paris and east of Orléans in the Gâtinais....
- PK 40 MontcressonMontcressonMontcresson is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France....
- PK 35 MontbouyMontbouyMontbouy is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.-See also:*Communes of the Loiret department...
- PK 29 Châtillon-ColignyChâtillon-ColignyChâtillon-Coligny is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.The Loing and the Briare Canal run through the town.-See also:*Communes of the Loiret department*Raynald of Châtillon...
has a 12th century castle - PK 19 Rogny-les-Sept-ÉclusesRogny-les-Sept-ÉclusesRogny-les-Sept-Écluses is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.-Geography:The commune is located some west of Auxerre and is crossed by the Loing and the Briare Canal.-References:*...
- PK 8 Ouzouer-sur-TrézéeOuzouer-sur-TrézéeOuzouer-sur-Trézée is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. The Briare Canal and the river Trézée run through the town..-See also:*Communes of the Loiret department...
- PK 6.5 Aqueduct d'eau de la Loire over the Rigole des Pompes
- PK 1 BriareBriareBriare is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.Briare, the Brivodorum of the Romans, is situated at the extremity of the Briare Canal, which unites the Loire and its lateral canal with the Loing and so with the Seine. The lateral canal of the Loire crosses the Loire near...
with its famous Briare aqueductBriare aqueductThe Briare Aqueduct carries the Canal latéral à la Loire over the River Loire on its journey to the River Seine in France. It replaced a river-level crossing from the canal to meet the Briare Canal that was hazardous in times of flood...
built by Gustave EiffelGustave EiffelAlexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French structural engineer from the École Centrale Paris, an architect, an entrepreneur and a specialist of metallic structures...
in 1890 over the LoireLoireLoire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
. The canal joins either the Loire River or the Canal latéral à la LoireCanal latéral à la LoireThe Canal Latéral à la Loire was constructed between 1827 and 1838 to connect the Canal de Briare at Briare and the Canal du Centre at Digoin, a distance of 196 km. It replaced the use of the River Loire which had reliability problems arising from winter floods and summer droughts...
in BriareBriareBriare is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.Briare, the Brivodorum of the Romans, is situated at the extremity of the Briare Canal, which unites the Loire and its lateral canal with the Loing and so with the Seine. The lateral canal of the Loire crosses the Loire near...