View to the Lac St Ferreol as it is today

The Romans first had the idea of linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean using the natural corridor between the Pyrenees and the Black Mountains (Monagnes Noire). Never carried out, the idea was kept alive by Charlemagne and King Francois 1, King Henry IV and King Louis XIII. Technical difficulties in supplying the water and the cost always defeated the project.

Pierre Paul Riquet in the 17th century finally worked out how it could be done whilst riding around the area as a tax collector. Colbert, the first minister of Louis XIV saw the strategic and economic advantages to France. Shipping goods around Spain to get to the Mediterranean was expensive and dangerous as there were pirates lurking in North Africa ready to prey on small cargo ships. In October 1666 a royal edict ordered the construction of the canal for the navigation and communication between the two seas.

M. Riquet proved that the water running off the Black Mountains would suffice to supply the canal. The highest point of the canal was to be at the top of the Seuil de Nauroze. The waters of the Black Mountain streams had to be collected and channelled down to this point to feed the stretches to the east and west of Nauroze. A huge reervoir with 30metre high walls was built at St Ferreol to collect winter rains to be released to the canal during the summer.

The work started in 1667, and for 14 years, 15000 workers built 254 kms of canal. Many inventions in hydraulics and construction techniques were first used in the building of the canal. 350 mechanisms such as locks, bridges, aqueducts and regulated siphons were built and some have remained unaltered to this day.

Riquet did not live to see his creation opened. he died in 1680 in Toulouse. he left millions in debts, but his family continued the work and ran the canal until the revolution, taking fees from passing boats and eventually recouping all the money. The biggest port at this end of the canal is Castelnaudary.

The Port Castelnaudary

Also here at Castelnaudary is the biggest change in levels at one set of locks. This is the St Roche series of locks. The level drops 9.5 metres here.

The lock St Roche in operation.

The thought was that a major shortage of water would occur if the locks were used extensively so the Grand Bassin was built as a reservoir for the lock system here. The Ile de la Cybelle in the middle of the Grand Bassin is a later addition and originally was much larger. It was built in 1754 to act as windbreak. the local wind, “vent d’autun”, blowing from the east – Carcassonne direction – allowed the towing horses through the bridge, but then acted on the barges following behind. The deadweight was enough to drag the horses into the canal and drown them. The Island was originally much larger than it is today, but with the advent of steam powered barges the wind did not have the same effect and early in the 20th century part of it was removed to provide earth for another project. At one time there was a cafe de danse on the island with a footbridge going across from the town by the old bridge.

Ile de la Cybelle, Grand Bassin, Castelnaudary

The footbridge linking the town to Ile de la Cybelle

Nowadays, opposite our house are the premises of a pleasure cruiser hire company. In the old days this was a proper boatyard with a dry dock building and repairing barges for the canal. It was called the Chantier du Radoub. To the right of the picture you can see the large building that still covers the dry dock.

The boatyard Castelnaudary, Grand Bassin

Economically, the canal was destroyed by the advent of the railways in the mid 19th century. The local farmers kept the canal alive as it provided water for crops and animals alike. The trees planted along its banks provided income as well. Initially it was mulberry trees that were tried, but it was found they damaged the banks. The plane trees we see now were introduced later and are adapted perfectly for the canal.They provided wood for the lockkeepers and also stabilised the banks. The traffic using the canal languished for more than a century, but in the 1970s tourism and the renting of pleasure boats for holidays became popular and the canal found a new destiny.