Canal du Midi

The Canal du Midi is one of the oldest canals of Europe still open. It is 240 km (150 miles) long, going from Toulouse, where it meets the Canal de Garonne, to the Mediterranean where it joins the Étang de Thau, a large lake. It was built from 1666 to 1681, during the reign of Louis XIV. It joins the Mediterranean and the Atlantic ocean. Many earlier plans had been made, but were not built because of the difficulty of getting water to supply the highest level. A reservoir was built with a large dam at Bassin de Saint-Ferréol. The dam is 780 metres (2,560 feet) long, with a maximum height of 32 metres (105 ft), and a base thickness of more than 140 m (450 ft). It was the largest work of civil engineering in Europe and only the second major dam to be built in Europe. Nearly 12,000 people worked to build it.

It was built with oval shaped locks 30.5 m (100 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide at the gates and 11 m (36 ft) wide in the middle. There are six aqueducts. There was a flight of 8 staircase locks (now only 6) at Fonseranes near Béziers.

Canal Du Midi Media

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  Location of the Canal du Midi and its branch to Port-la-Nouvelle, part of the Canal des Deux Mers route from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic

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  Profile of the Canal du Midi (distances in metres starting from 0 at Toulouse and height in metres above sea level)

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  Portrait of Pierre-Paul Riquet, the designer of the Canal du Midi

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  Photograph of the Letter, Archives of the canal, Toulouse

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  Sign indicating the Océan Lock at the Seuil de Naurouze at the highest point with 189m altitude

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  Plan of the Basin of Naurouze, which was later abandoned because of its high silt level

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  Plan of the Round Locks at Agde by Pierre-Paul Riquet

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  Map of the canal from Toulouse to Sète, 18th century or earlier

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  Staircase of locks from Fonserannes to Béziers