The Garonne
Toulouse is the daughter of the Garonne.
A city that is in love with its river,
Toulouse has chosen to protect the quays and surroundings areas
The building, and rebuilding, of bridges and roads over a very
long time resulted in the radiant vision of the quays that we know
today.
The quays have been protected sites since 1943. The banks have
been made welcoming to walkers, and have become the venue for festivals
such as “Rio Loco”, or transformed into beaches during the summer
months.
Many tourist activities take place around the river and the Canal
du Midi, where amateur yachtsmen play at being freshwater sailors.
The Canal du midi
Constructed in the reign of Louis
XIV, the Canal du Midi is the oldest canal in Europe that is still
in use. This waterway, a product of the imagination of the engineer
Pierre-Paul Riquet, includes some remarkable pieces of work which
give it exceptional patrimonial interest. Its significance is now
recognised at international level. UNESCO has now classified the Canal
du Midi as one of the 469 World Heritage Sites.
The Canal du Midi runs over 240 kilometres between the Etang de Thau,
near Sète, and Toulouse. It is extended to the Atlantic ocean by the
Garonne Lateral Canal, over 193 kilometres.
This link between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean was built in
the 17th century. The project was intended to bring Atlantic-oriented
Gascony, and Mediterranean-oriented Languedoc closer together, and
thus to avoid the fleet having to make a detour via Gibraltar. The
construction of the Canal du Midi began in 1666 and was finished in
1681. 12,000 men worked on the gigantic project. The liaison between
the Atlantic and the Mediterranean was only really achieved in 1856,
with the construction of the Garonne Lateral Canal. Riquet managed
to build the Canal du Midi with the support of Louis XIV, Colbert
and Vauban. Combined with the Garonne Lateral Canal beyond Toulouse,
it formed a waterway between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
The “Bassin de l’Embouchure” is where Toulouse’s three canals meet:
the Canal du Midi, the Canal de Brienne and the Canal Latéral. Water
from the canals enters the basin via the “Ponts-Jumeaux”. A famous
marble bas-relief depicts the meeting of the waters with an evocation
of Occitania on one side and an allegory of the Garonne on the other.
Canal de Brienne
Built between 1770 and 1776 by Cardinal Loménie of Brienne, it
acts as a link between the Canal du Midi and the Garonne.
Canal latéral à la Garonne
Before it was built between 1838 and 1856, boats came from the Mediterranean to Toulouse via the Canal du Midi, then joined the Garonne to reach Bordeaux. As the river was difficult to navigate, the Canal du Midi soon needed to be extended. The Canal Latéral” was built, thus creating the “Canal des Deux Mers”.
