The Canal du Loing () is a 49.4 km long

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

which connects the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

Saint-Mammès Saint-Mammès () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France, in the metropolitan area of Paris. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris, at the confluence of the Seine and Loi ...

to the Briare Canal just north of

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, ...

, in central France. It runs through the

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.

and

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne (river), Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square ...

''départements''.

History

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to in French as ''le Régent''. ...

sought letters patent to build the canal in 1720, and it was completed in 1723. 3815 barges passed through in 1752 alone. Lock 20 is disused today, leaving 19

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

s. The total fall is about 37m. The canal is lateral to the river

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 ...

except in two places where the river is used as part of the canal. The Canal du Loing is part of the

Bourbonnais route The Bourbonnais route is a connection of four canals in France from Saint-Mammès on the Seine to Chalon-sur-Saône on the Saône River: It includes the Canal du Loing, Canal de Briare, Canal latéral à la Loire, and Canal du Centre. History ...

from

on the

Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; h ...

on the river

Saône The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name deri ...

Current use

The valley is wooded and pleasant throughout, with lakes resulting from former gravel pits. Commercial traffic has declined significantly, but the canal remains open all year round to accommodate barges, mostly carrying grain for export. The route is popular with private boats, and also sees some hire boats and

hotel barge A hotel barge (fr. ''péniche hôtel'') is a barge that has been built or converted to serve as a hotel or other kind of lodging. Hotel barges are generally found on rivers and canals in Europe, and may be used for river cruises or permanently moo ...

References

External links

Structurae website translated

Canal du Loing
maps and details of places, ports and moorings on the canal, by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', 8th ed., 2010, Imray
Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals
(French waterways website section) {{DEFAULTSORT:Canal Du Loing

Canals opened in 1723 1723 establishments in France

History

Current use

See also

References

External links