Canal du Midi

A universal work of art

This 360-km network of navigable waterways linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic through 328 structures (locks, aqueducts, bridges, tunnels, etc.) is one of the most remarkable feats of civil engineering in modern times.

Built between 1667 and 1694, it paved the way for the Industrial Revolution.

The care that its creator, Pierre-Paul Riquet, took in the design and the way it blends with its surroundings turned a technical achievement into a work of art.

The Canal du Midi was built during the reign of Louis XIV by the visionary Pierre-Paul Riquet.

The ingenuity of its water supply system and the extent of the work done in only 14 years (1666 - 1681) make it one of the most extraordinary achievements of modern civil engineering. 240 km long, it is one of the oldest running channels in Europe.

It has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.

Canal du Midi was inscribed in 1996 on the basis of cultural criteria (i), (ii), (iv) and (vi) considering that the site is of Outstanding Universal Value being one of the greatest engineering achievements of the Modern Age, providing the model for the flowering of technology that led directly to the Industrial Revolution and the modern technological age.

Additionally, it combines with its technological innovation a concern for high aesthetic architectural and landscape design that has few parallels.

The Committee endorsed the inscription of this property as the Canal du Midi clearly is an exceptional example of a designed landscape.

Everything floats ... almost! Olivier Allègre

The red boat, Georges Dedieu

The canal is water, Christophe Gadiou

Autumn walk, Alexandre Ménard

Cast off ! José Milian

Impressionist barge, David Richin

A love channel, David Richin

Bath of light, Roselyne Gautier

Phare, Patrick Brenier

Save the Canal

Today, the Canal du Midi and the trees that surround it are threatened by canker stain (a disease that attacks plane trees). Voies Navigables de France (VNF) renovates the banks that were previously
held by the roots of the plane trees.

Canker Stain. Voies navigables de France (VNF) replants new species and raises funds to replace the plane trees, Didier Gauducheau

European roller (Coracias garrulus). VNF installs birdhouses to compensate for habitat loss of birds and bats. Voies navigables de France / Symbiosphère

Voies navigables de France (VNF) replants new species and raises funds to replace the plane trees.

The State, local authorities, businesses and individuals are working alongside Voies navigables de France to safeguard the canal.

Together, we can replant the channel for future generations.

One morning at the canal, Sylvain Verdié

Downstream of the canal bridge of Cesse, Nicolas Dürr

Lock of Montgiscard, José Milian