The Riqueval Tunnel is a -long tunnel on the

St Quentin Canal The Canal de Saint-Quentin () is a canal in northern France connecting the canalised river Escaut in Cambrai to the Canal latéral à l'Oise and Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne in Chauny. History The canal was built in two phases, the second much long ...

, close to the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Bellicourt Bellicourt () is a commune in the department of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It lies on the N44 road between Cambrai and Saint-Quentin and over the principal tunnel of the St. Quentin Canal. It was the site of numerous inte ...

, in the department of Aisne, France. It connects Bellicourt with Bony. It was constructed as part of the St Quentin Canal between 1801 and 1810, on the orders of

Napoleon 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 ...

The tunnel remains in use, and can be traversed using a

chain boat A chain boat,John MacGregor (1867). ''The voyage alone in the yawl "Rob Roy": from London to Paris, and back etc.'', London: Maranda merrill, Son and Marston, pp. 97-99. chain tug or chain-ship was a type of river craft, used in the second half o ...

. Along with the Mauvages tunnel, on the

Marne–Rhine Canal The Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Marne–Rhine Canal) is a canal in north-eastern France. It connects the river Marne and the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne in Vitry-le-François with the port of Strasbourg on the Rhine. The original objective ...

, it is one of the last locations in the world where a system of chain towing is still in operation. It was the longest tunnel in the world until the construction of Biassa II tunnel, La Spezia, Italy.

External links

Tour through Riqueval Tunnel Site (French)

Official site of navigable canals in France (French)

* M. M. PUGIN: ''L’histoire du Canal de Saint-Quentin'' Dans: Mémoires numérisés, Tome XXVII, 1982, Page 43-60
PDF

Video about Riqueval Tunnel and its area (French)

References

* *Oskar Teubert: ''Die Binnenschiffahrt – Ein Handbuch für alle Beteiligten'', Band 2, Verlag Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig 1918, 4. Teil, Abschnitt III., ''Schiffszug'', 4. Das Schleppen an der Kette oder am Seil, Seite 268–287 * * Der Ort wurde in der Schlacht am Saint-Quentin-Kanal vom 29. September bis 10. Oktober 1918 schwer umkämpft.britischer Ehrenfriedhof Bellicourt
{{s-end Tunnels in France Canal tunnels in France