Canal du Nivernais
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The Canal du Nivernais links the
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 ...
with 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 ...
, following approximately the course of the river
Yonne Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is lo ...
in a south to north direction. It first climbs northeast and north to cross the Morvan watershed, then roughly follows the course of the Yonne. Beginning on the Loire in the village of
Saint-Léger-des-Vignes Saint-Léger-des-Vignes () is a commune in the department of the Nièvre, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, in central France. Geography Saint-Léger-des-Vignes is situated in the South of the Nièvre, on the road D981. It is the beginning point of th ...
, it reaches its half-way point at the town of Clamecy and finishes at
Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
on the Yonne. The canal is long and has 112
locks 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 ...
. It is fed at its summit at Port Brûlé by a feeder canal from the Lac de Pannecière
reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
, including an elegant aqueduct at
Montreuillon Montreuillon () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Demographics On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was 259. Eurozone Montreuillon was the official centre of the Eurozone between 2001 and 2007. Canal du Nivernais ...
. In its northerly course it is regularly fed by the Yonne and on the southern slope by the
Aron Aron may refer to: Characters *Aron (comics), from the Marvel Universe comic ''Aron! HyperSpace Boy!'' *Aron (Pokémon), in the ''Pokémon'' franchise * Aron Trask, from John Steinbeck's novel ''East of Eden'' *Áron or Aaron, the brother of Mos ...
. The summit level pound also comprises three tunnels. Although the feeder canal arrives at Port Brûlé, the top of the canal is generally considered to be at Baye at the southern end of the tunnels.


History

Construction of the canal began in 1784, initially to aid the ''flottage'' (floating) of timber rafts from the forests of the
Morvan The Morvan (historically Morvand from the Latin ''Murvinnum'' 590)Pierre-Henri Billy, ''Dictionnaire des noms de lieux de la France'', éditions Errance, 640 pages, 2011 , is a mountainous massif lying just to the west of the Côte d'Or escarp ...
national park to Paris, via Clamecy and
Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
. However, in reality, the canal was quickly established as an important
communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
route, carrying timber, building stone, grain and wine out of the region, and bringing in coal. It contributed significantly to the
economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...
of the
Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Chevroches and Dornecy. The canal du Nivernais importance in this respect, faded with the arrival of the
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
in the 19th century.


Boating and tourism

Today, the canal is exclusively reserved for navigation in recreational craft. A number of boat hire companies have bases on the canal at
Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
,
Vermenton Vermenton () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Sacy was merged into Vermenton.Châtel-Censoir Châtel-Censoir () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. See also *Communes of the Yonne department The following is a list of the 423 communes of the Yonne department of France. The commu ...
,
Coulanges-sur-Yonne Coulanges-sur-Yonne (, ''Coulanges on Yonne'') is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. See also *Communes of the Yonne department The following is a list of the 423 communes of the Yonne depar ...
, Tannay,
Marigny-sur-Yonne Marigny-sur-Yonne (, literally ''Marigny on Yonne'') is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Demographics On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was 197. See also *Communes of the Nièvre department The following is a ...
,
Corbigny Corbigny () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Geography Corbigny is located at the western end of the Morvan hills and is one of the five entry points of Parc naturel régional du Morvan. The river Anguison, a tributary ...
, Baye,
Châtillon-en-Bazois Châtillon-en-Bazois is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Demographics See also *Communes of the Nièvre department *Parc naturel régional du Morvan Morvan Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional du Morv ...
and
Decize Decize is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Geography The town is situated on a former island in the Loire ("en Loire assise") at the confluence of the Aron river. The right channel of the Loire was dammed up to reclaim land ...
. There are also a number of
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 ...
s, cruising between Auxerre and Clamecy and beyond.


Sights

The majority of tourists begin their cruise at the historic city of
Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
after which, the canal winds south through the department of
Yonne Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is lo ...
countryside past a number of small, picturesque villages and hamlets, departing from and rejoining the river Yonne on this ascending leg. Notable villages include Bailly with its famous wine cellars situated in caves, Vincelles and the nearby wine village of
Irancy Irancy () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. It is located southwest of Chablis in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. History The town of Irancy was developed beginning in the year 900AD when the Abb ...
, Cravant, Mailly-la-Ville, Mailly-le-Château,
Châtel-Censoir Châtel-Censoir () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. See also *Communes of the Yonne department The following is a list of the 423 communes of the Yonne department of France. The commu ...
and
Coulanges-sur-Yonne Coulanges-sur-Yonne (, ''Coulanges on Yonne'') is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. See also *Communes of the Yonne department The following is a list of the 423 communes of the Yonne depar ...
. Amongst the most spectacular sites are the Rochers du Saussois (photo), a series of 50 metre-high limestone cliffs beside the river. Shortly after Coulanges, the canal leaves the department of the Yonne and enters the department of the Nièvre. At roughly the half-way point, the canal passes through a landscape of
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
outcrops and undulating farmland until arriving at the medieval town of Clamecy. The
Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and Mysticism, mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary pro ...
Museum in Clamecy houses a permanent exhibition dedicated to the former industrial and communicatory importance of the canal. Those interested in the history of the canal will be able to visit the now unused parts which were replaced by a stretch of the river. After Clamecy boats cease to navigate on the Yonne and it is canal only up to the summit. The Canal continues to rise, passing through the countryside of the valleys of the Yonne, through more villages and hamlets including
Corbigny Corbigny () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Geography Corbigny is located at the western end of the Morvan hills and is one of the five entry points of Parc naturel régional du Morvan. The river Anguison, a tributary ...
, the only sizable town for some distance, the last 12 kilometres featuring 28 locks including the 16 locks of the Sardy flight (''échelle de Sardy'') which lead to the summit at Baye, then
Châtillon-en-Bazois Châtillon-en-Bazois is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Demographics See also *Communes of the Nièvre department *Parc naturel régional du Morvan Morvan Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional du Morv ...
with its château overlooking the port and
Cercy-la-Tour Cercy-la-Tour () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Geography The village is located in the middle of the commune, where the river Alène joins the Aron. Demographics On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was . Se ...
and its giant Madonna statue, the last town before the canal ends at
Saint-Léger-des-Vignes Saint-Léger-des-Vignes () is a commune in the department of the Nièvre, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, in central France. Geography Saint-Léger-des-Vignes is situated in the South of the Nièvre, on the road D981. It is the beginning point of th ...
adjacent to
Decize Decize is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Geography The town is situated on a former island in the Loire ("en Loire assise") at the confluence of the Aron river. The right channel of the Loire was dammed up to reclaim land ...
.


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 ...


External links


Canal du Nivernais
with maps and details of places, ports and moorings, by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', Imray

{{Coord, 47, 40, N, 3, 40, E, display=title, region:FR_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki
Nivernais Nivernais (, ) was a province of France, around the city of Nevers, which forms the modern department of Nièvre. It roughly coincides with the former Duchy of Nevers.Canals opened in 1842