The Canal Saint-Martin is a 4.6 km (2.86 mi) 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 flo ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, connecting the
Canal de l'Ourcq
The Canal de l'Ourcq is a long canal in the Île-de-France region (greater Paris) with 10 locks. It was built at a width of but was enlarged to 3.7 m (12 ft), which permitted use by more pleasure boats. The canal begins at Port-au ...
to the river
Seine. Over nearly half its length (), between the Rue du Faubourg du Temple and the
Place de la Bastille
The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris where the Bastille prison once stood, until the storming of the Bastille and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution. No vestige of the ...
, it was covered, in the mid-19th century, to create wide boulevards and public spaces on the surface. The canal is drained and cleaned every 10–15 years, and it is always a source of fascination for Parisians to discover curiosities and even some treasures among the hundreds of tons of discarded objects.
History
Gaspard de Chabrol
Gilbert Joseph Gaspard, comte de Chabrol de Volvic (25 September 1773, Riom, Puy-de-Dôme – 30 April 1843, Paris) was a French official.
Biography
Gaspard de Chabrol was born on the 25 September 1773 in Riom, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, the younge ...
, prefect of Paris, proposed building a canal from the river Ourcq, 100 km northeast of Paris, to supply the city with fresh water to support a growing population and help avoid diseases such as
dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
and
cholera, while also supplying fountains and allowing the streets to be cleaned. Construction of the canal was ordered by
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
in 1802 and construction took place until 1825, funded by a new tax on wine.
The canal was also used to supply Paris with grain, building materials and other goods, carried on canal boats. Two ports were created on the canal in Paris to unload the boats:
Port de l'Arsenal and the
Bassin de la Villette
The Bassin de la Villette (La Villette Basin) is the largest artificial lake in Paris. It was filled with water on 2 December 1808. Located in the 19th arrondissement of the capital, it links the Canal de l'Ourcq to the Canal Saint-Martin, and ...
.
By the 1960s, traffic had dwindled to a trickle and the canal narrowly escaped being filled in and paved over for a highway.
Route
The entrance to the canal from the vast terminal basin (Bassin de la Villette) of the
Canal de l'Ourcq
The Canal de l'Ourcq is a long canal in the Île-de-France region (greater Paris) with 10 locks. It was built at a width of but was enlarged to 3.7 m (12 ft), which permitted use by more pleasure boats. The canal begins at Port-au ...
is at a double
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 ...
near the
Place de Stalingrad
The Place de la Bataille-de-Stalingrad is a square in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. It was named after the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the major battles of World War II. The square lies at the intersection of the Canal de l'Ourcq and the Can ...
. Continuing towards the river
Seine, the canal is bordered by the Quai de Valmy on the right bank and the Quai de Jemmapes on the left, passing through three more double staircase locks before disappearing under the three successive ''voûtes'' (tunnels) – du Temple, Richard-Lenoir and Bastille – to emerge in the
Port de l'Arsenal, the principal port for boats visiting and residing in Paris.
Tourism
Today, the canal is a popular destination for Parisians and tourists. Some take cruises on the canal in passenger boats. Others watch the barges and other boats navigate the series of locks and pass under the attractive cast-iron footbridges. There are many popular restaurants and bars along the open part of the canal, which is also popular with students.
Métro stations
The canal can be accessed from the following
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro (french: Métro de Paris ; short for Métropolitain ) is a rapid transit system in the Paris metropolitan area, France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architec ...
stations:
Stalingrad,
République,
Goncourt,
(Paris Métro) Jacques Bonsergent,
Jaurès.
In popular culture
Art
The canal inspired painters such as
Alfred Sisley
Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedicatio ...
(1839-1899). In the present day, many intricate works of graffiti are visible along the canal, and there is a large multimedia art space on its banks at the former municipal undertakers building at 104 rue d'Aubervilliers ('104').
Film and television
* The canal was the setting in part for
Jean Vigo
Jean Vigo (; 26 April 1905 – 5 October 1934) was a French film director who helped establish poetic realism in film in the 1930s. His work influenced French New Wave cinema of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Biography
Vigo was born to ...
's film ''
L'Atalante
''L'Atalante'', also released as ''Le Chaland qui passe'' ("The Passing Barge"), is a 1934 French film written and directed by Jean Vigo, and starring Jean Dasté, Dita Parlo and Michel Simon.
After the difficult release of his controversial ...
'' in 1934.
* The canal is shown in the 1938 film ''
Hôtel du Nord
''Hôtel du Nord'' is a 1938 French drama film directed by Marcel Carné that stars Arletty, Louis Jouvet, Annabella, and Jean-Pierre Aumont. It tells the story of two couples in Paris, one being a prostitute and her pimp and the other two you ...
'', directed by
Marcel Carné.
*In ''
Les Malheurs d'Alfred'' (1972),
Pierre Richard
Pierre Richard (born Pierre-Richard Maurice Charles Léopold Defays; 16 August 1934) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter, best known for the roles of a clumsy daydreamer in comedy films. Pierre Richard is considered by many, such as ...
and
Anny Duperey
Anny Duperey (born Annie Legras; 28 June 1947) is a French actress, published photographer and best-selling author with a career spanning almost six decades as of 2021 and more than eighty cinema or television credits, around thirty theatre pr ...
meet each other at the beginning of the film, thinking of committing suicide in the canal.
*The French police series PJ (
:fr:PJ (série télévisée)) uses an external shot of a building at 52
rue Bichat, located next to the canal, as the frontage of the police station. Cars were often shown existing the building and the canal and adjacent neighbourhood were used as backdrops for scenes.
* The canal appears in
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's famous 2001 film known in English as ''
Amélie
''Amélie'' (also known as ''Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain''; ; en, The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, italic=yes) is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume La ...
'', in which the title character is shown enjoying one of her favourite activities:
skipping stones
''Capitol'' (1979) was Orson Scott Card's second published book, and first foray into science fiction. This collection of eleven short stories set in the Worthing series is no longer in print. However six of the stories have been reprinted in ' ...
at the locks of the canal.
''The Guardian'' review, 15 August 2001
/ref>
* The canal was used as an escape route for Ethan Hunt and his team in the 2018 film '' Mission: Impossible – Fallout''.
Music
*Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars.
Pia ...
sings about the canal in the song " Les mômes de la cloche", written by Vincent Scotto
Vincent Scotto (21 April 1874 – 15 November 1952) was a French composer.
Biography
Early life
Vincent Scotto was born on 21 April 1874 in Marseille to Pasquale Scotto d'Aniello and Antonia Intartaglia, from the island of Procida, north of th ...
and Decaye, music by Médinger, in 1936.
*Courteeners
Courteeners are an English band formed in Middleton in 2006 by Liam Fray (lead guitar/vocals), Michael Campbell (drums/backing vocals), Daniel "Conan" Moores (rhythm guitar) and Mark Cuppello (bass); the latter was replaced by the band's produ ...
song "The Dilettante" mentions the canal and talks of the pleasant atmosphere surrounding it.
Literature
*Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer. He published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, and was the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret.
Early life and education ...
's novel ''Maigret and the Headless Corpse (Maigret et le corps sans tête)'' is set in and around the canal.
Gallery
Canal Saint-Martin 2.jpg, Canal St. Martin at Square Frédérick-Lemaître
050907 Paris 135b CanalStMartin-parisiens.JPG, The Boulevard Jules-Ferry, which covers the lower end of the canal
Canal Saint-Martin 1.jpg, A typical iron bridge over the canal
Paris Canal St-Martin écluses Récollets 2013.jpg, The locks of the Récollets
References
External links
Paris - Canal de l'Ourcq, Canal Saint-Denis and Canal Saint-Martin
maps and information on places, ports and moorings on the canals, by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', Imray
Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals
(French waterways website section)
Blog of the Canal Saint-Martin quarter
Canal Saint-Martin map
The sunken treasures of a Paris canal
{{Authority control
Geography of Paris
Transport in Paris
Place de la Bastille
Saint-Martin
10th arrondissement of Paris
Canals opened in 1825