Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
at
Orléans
Orléans (;"Orleans" (US) and Canal du Loing
The Canal du Loing () is a 49.4 km long canal which connects the Seine at Saint-Mammès to the Briare Canal just north of Montargis, in central France. It runs through the Loiret and Seine-et-Marne ''départements''.
History
Philippe II, ...
and the
Canal de Briare
The Briare Canal (french: Canal de Briare, ) is one of the oldest canals in France. Its construction started in 1604. It was the first summit level canal in Europe that was built using pound locks, connecting the Rhone-Saône and Seine valleys. ...
in the village of
Buges
Buges is a village in the commune of Corquilleroy, 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 ...
near
Montargis
Montargis () is a communes of France, commune in the Loiret Departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
Montargis is the seventh most populous commune in the Loiret, after Orléans and its suburbs. It is near a large forest, ...
. It is entirely within the department of
Loiret
Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.
.
The canal was begun in 1676 by Robert Mahieux, a timber merchant, when he was authorized to dig a 28 km canal for the shipping of his timber to Montargis. He conceded his canal to the
Duke of Orléans
Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...
who expanded it to connect the Loire at Combleux and the
Loing
The Loing () is a long river in central France, a left tributary of the Seine.
Its source is in Sainte-Colombe-sur-Loing, in the southwestern of the department of Yonne, and it flows into the Seine in Saint-Mammès, near Moret-sur-Loing.
Its ma ...
. This was completed in 1692 with a length of 74 km and with 27 locks. In 1921, it was extended 5 km from Combleux to Orléans. The canal service was terminated in 1954.
Though the canal is disused today, it is kept in a good state with its tow path being used as a cycle trail. Along the trail, you will see some of the original locks and gates and the pumping stations used to fill the canal with water from the Loire.
Locks No. 4 (Pont-aux-Moines) and No. 5 (Donnery) have been restored. In 2007, lock No. 1 in Orléans was restored. Locks No. 24 through 28 have been restored and are in use, but there is no connection with the Canal du Loing. On the Orléans end, there are 19 km with three locks. On the other, there are 14 km with four locks working.
En route
PK numbers are not available. Villages are shown here in order from Orléans to Buges.
*
Chécy
Chécy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Loiret Departments of France, department in north-central France.
Population
See also
* Communes of the Loiret department
References
Communes of Loiret
{{Loiret-geo-stub ...
*
Mardié
Mardié () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.
See also
* Communes of the Loiret department
The following is the list of the 325 communes of the Loiret department of France.
The communes cooperate in the followin ...
*
Donnery
Donnery () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.
See also
* Communes of the Loiret department
The following is the list of the 325 communes of the Loiret department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following ...
Buges
Buges is a village in the commune of Corquilleroy, 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 ...
See also
*
List of canals in France
This is a list of the navigable canals and rivers in France. For reference purposes, all waterways are listed, including many that have been abandoned for navigation, mostly in the period 1925-1955, but some in later years. Although several source ...