What to know about the Canal du Midi?
– Why was the Canal du Midi built? – Who built the Canal du Midi? – how was the Canal du Midi built?
Choosing to go sightseeing in Occitanie and spending a vacation near the Canal du Midi will give you the opportunity to discover the many facets of this architectural gem.
The numerous explanations and videos offered below will allow you to answer all your questions relating to this subject.
What advantages does our charming lodge in Capestang offer for exploring the Canal du Midi?
Our accommodation near the Canal du Midi, located approximately 250 m away, will give you quick access to the banks and the village harbor master's office, co-located with the Intercommunal Canal du Midi tourist office.
Our lodge with indoor pool will ensure you a well-deserved relaxation after your escapades along the canal or on the paths that run through the surrounding vineyards and olive groves.
Spending a vacation in Occitanie and choosing to do some Canal du Midi tourism, particularly from Capestang and the charming La Collégiale gîte, is a sure bet to bring you rest and a change of scenery.
The Canal du Midi and its history
Built between Toulouse and the Mediterranean, with some sixty locks along its length, the Canal du Midi is one of the greatest civil engineering masterpieces in the history of France. The Canal du Midi deserves a page of its own. This structure is the essential symbol of Languedoc, the South, and its history. The Canal du Midi forms a link between the "two Souths," the one facing the Atlantic and the one facing the Mediterranean. Since 1996, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Whether you just stop by to admire it, want to stay in the villages it passes through like Capestang, or follow it from Toulouse to Marseillan, the Canal du Midi exudes an impression of serenity and tranquility. Today, it is one of the most majestic leisure routes to discover on foot, by bike, or by boat. Better than a must-see, it's a legend!
The canal stretches 250 kilometers to connect the Atlantic (via the river Garonne) to the Mediterranean. It winds slowly through vineyards, green hills, and villages with narrow streets bathed in light. Time stands still, the magic happens. The sweetness of life wins you over.
Strolling along the Canal du Midi is, above all, a journey back in time. Built in the 17th century under the reign of Louis XIV, the canal had been envisioned for centuries. However, no one had solved the main problem: a constant water supply.
It was the genius of a Béziers native, Pierre-Paul Riquet, who helped solve it. He determined the exact point where the waters of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean divide, the Seuil de Naurouze, and found a way to "deposit" the water captured and stored in the Montagne Noire there. The "mountain channel" stores the water captured in the lake of Saint-Ferréol. From there, the "plain channel" regularly and permanently feeds the Canal du Midi.
Even today, ingenious technical feats enrich the canal's route. Numerous engineering structures have been constructed, providing solutions to the topographical obstacles encountered. Above all, they represent a form of technical innovation combined with a high level of attention to architecture and landscape design, something rarely seen elsewhere.
Here are some examples that you can easily admire from Capestang:
- The great reach from Argens-Minervois to Fonserannes is one of the many feats in the creation of the Canal du Midi. Pierre-Paul Riquet managed to maintain the same elevation (altitude) of 31.35 meters above sea level for 54 kilometers.
- The Malpas tunnel is the first canal tunnel in the world. Passing under the hill of Ensérune, it is the symbol of Riquet's stubbornness. At this point, the canal arrives in front of this hill. How to get the canal through? Against all odds, in eight days, a test gallery is drilled into the friable sandstone of the hill, and secured by a cemented vault. Riquet won his bet by opening the road to Béziers. Here is a glimpse:
Paul Riquet
The Malpas Tunnel
Further towards Béziers, the Fonséranes locks are the jewel of the Canal du Midi. Indeed, crossing a drop of 21.50 meters over a distance of 312 meters was a real challenge for Pierre-Paul Riquet. Initially, this essential site of the Canal du Midi included 8 basins, or 9 successive gates, then 2 much lower basins, which allowed boatmen to reach the Orb. It was necessary to cross this river a little further downstream to reach the canal on the other bank. Traditional buildings such as the water coach, the stables, the lock keeper's house still remain... And they have recently welcomed you, for a discovery based on new technologies. A special moment to immerse yourself in the heart of this historical treasure. The original locks of the canal have a very particular shape, oval. They were designed in this shape to strengthen them and protect them from ground pressure when empty. Here are some images of this remarkable site as well as some technical explanations relating to the general operation of a lock:
The Fonséranes locks
How does a lock work?
The Béziers Canal Bridge to facilitate navigation and develop the city. This is not a work designed by Pierre-Paul Riquet. It was built a century and a half later, between 1854 and 1857. And it considerably modified the original route of the Canal du Midi, avoiding the Orb, this capricious river which was dangerous for navigation. The 7th and penultimate basin of the Fonséranes locks was opened on the right, thus creating a new navigation route. This allows boatmen to navigate on the Canal Bridge, and to pass to the left bank of the Orb, without crossing it... therefore without danger.
We hope having convinced you of the three good reasons to stroll near the Canal du Midi: for a relaxing stroll along the water, on foot, by bike... and even on the water, to discover the genius of a man who built it in the face of topographical obstacles and to soak up the peaceful atmosphere of the symbol of Languedoc.