Canal de Nantes à Brest

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Canal de Nantes à Brest
The canal at Malestroit

The canal at Malestroit

Water code FR :  ---- 100G
location France , Pays de la Loire and Brittany regions
length 396 km
class <I.
Beginning Branch from the Loire River ( Bras de la Madeleine branch ) in the urban area of Nantes
The End The river Aulne flows into the Bay of Brest near Landévennec
Descent structures 236
Ports Nantes , Redon , Châteaulin
Junctions, crossings canalized Vilaine
Used river Erdre , Isac , Oust , Blavet , Doré , Hyère , Aulne
Kilometrage from Nantes to Brest
No longer continuously passable!
Ecluse234ToulArRodo.JPG
Lock 234 in the western section of the canal

The Canal de Nantes à Brest ( German: Nantes-Brest Canal ), opened in 1842, is a French shipping canal that connects the Loire near Nantes with the Rade de Brest Bay . At times it was important for inland navigation between Nantes in the Pays de la Loire region and Brest in the Bretagne region . The plans were drawn up under Guy Bouessel based on a proposal by Ing. Abeille. At its western end, contrary to the name, the canal does not lead directly to Brest, but only to just northwest of Landévennec , where the Aulne river flows into the bay named after Brest.

The canal generally runs in a north-westerly direction and uses various parts of the river on its way, which were canalized for this purpose. These are the rivers Erdre , Isac , Oust , Blavet and Doré , Hyère and Aulne in the western section. At Redon the canal crosses the Vilaine , which in connection with the Canal d'Ille-et-Rance crosses Brittany in a north-south direction. This creates a small waterway cross.

Course of the canal

Map with the channel

Coordinates

Crossed departments

in the Pays de la Loire region:

in the Brittany region:

Places on the canal

technical infrastructure

This channel is a watershed channel that overcomes a total of three peak heights :

  • Bout-de-Bois (20 m), west of Nort-sur-Erdre , water supply through the Grand Réservoir de Vioreau , near Joué-sur-Erdre , content 8 million m³
  • Hilvern (129 m), southwest of Saint-Gonnery , water supply through the Étang de Bosméléac , near Allineuc , volume 3 million m³
  • Glomel (184 m), north of Glomel , water supply through the Étang de Coronc , south of Glomel, volume 3 million m³

The canal is 396 kilometers long between Nantes and the confluence with the Bay of Brest. To cope with the height difference of 555 meters in total, 236 locks were built. 18 of them no longer exist because they were flooded by the construction of the Guerlédan reservoir in 1923–1930. The channel can therefore no longer be navigated continuously. East of the Hilvern apex are 23 locks at a distance of around five kilometers, but also before and after Kergouët and west of the Glomel apex , the locks follow at such short intervals that one can speak of lock stairs. Since the construction of the dam in 1928 for a power station near Guerlédan, the canal has been divided into two parts and has largely lost its importance for commercial shipping.

history

  • 560 Expansion into a canal in the area where the Erdre meets the Loire.
  • 1627 First plans for the creation of a canal through Brittany, from the Bay of Brest to Carhaix.
  • 1716 First plan for a canal over the entire distance from Nantes to Brest. The increasing blockage of Breton coastal shipping by the British fleet endangers the supply of the arsenals in Indret (near Nantes), Lorient and Brest. As a substitute, transports through the interior of Brittany can be considered, but the roads do not meet the requirements. Canals are therefore the most suitable solution to transport problems.
  • 1804 Technical studies by the engineer Bouessel. Napoleon is interested in the project.
  • 1806 First work on the Nantes – Brest Canal.
  • 1811 The first stone for the first lock in Port-Launay (near Châteaulin) is laid.
  • 1814 Napoleon goes into exile. Now there is no funding and the work is stopped.
  • 1822 resumption of work. Special feature: from 1822 to 1832 400–600 prisoners (opposition members, prisoners of war, rebels, criminals) were brought from outside Brittany to Glomel to dig the up to 23 m deep cut by hand. The prisoners were housed under the worst conditions in a camp near Lande-Perran (near Glomel). Malaria and harsh working conditions left numerous victims. In 1830, in connection with the July Revolution, there was a mass escape of 570 prisoners. However, the majority of them were recaptured. By allowing an entrepreneur to convince them to voluntarily return to the camp, a massacre was avoided. In 1832, after another revolt and fear of a cholera epidemic, the camp was closed.
  • 1842 opening of the canal, d. H. of the shipping operations, along its entire length. Before that, individual sections had gradually been put into operation, and various final works followed after 1842. In 1858 Napoleon III. have finally opened the channel.
  • 1890–1914 time of most intensive use.
  • 1914 Requirement of the cargo ships.
  • After 1914 there was competition for the canal from the railroad, which transported it faster and, all in all, cheaper.
  • 1921–1922 A long, extremely dry season forced the cessation of shipping for almost a year.
  • 1928 Construction of the 45 m high and 206 m long dam at Guerlédan. Since then, from the point of view of shipping, the canal has been divided into two completely independent parts. To date, no facility for overcoming the step has been built, although corresponding demands have been made time and again.
  • 1940 Re-requisition of the cargo ships.
  • 1945 After the war, the canal is increasingly out of use.
  • 1977 The last cargo ship brings the last cargo (sand) to Saint-Congard. The canal sinks into a deep sleep and is no longer properly maintained.
  • Since 1994 the canal has been used increasingly by tourism. The locks are gradually being repaired. Today the responsibility for the canal lies with the departments, which pursue different strategies and development speeds.

Economical meaning

For a long time, the interior of Brittany was one of the most economically backward areas of France. There was a lack of developed roads to export the agricultural products, the roofing slate and building blocks from the quarries as well as coal and ores, but also to be able to import lime and marl lime for soil improvement. The construction of canals should therefore stimulate agriculture and trade and initiate an economic upswing. The British blockade of coastal shipping was definitely the reason to press ahead with the construction of the canals.

High prices for the use of the canals - much too high for the poor population - then prevented the upswing. From 1836 to 1850, an average of only 10,000 tons were transported annually. In 1860 the tonnage rose to 40,000 tons per year because of the transport of coal through the state. In 1865 it was over again because of the horrendous costs. Technical improvements made the quantities rise again from 1870 onwards. Between 1890 and 1914, at the height of Breton canal shipping, there were 800 ships in transit, but the annual tonnage was only 35,000 tons.

In 1914-18, Brittany provided an above-average number of soldiers. Their absence resulted in a standstill in economic life and thus a massive decline in canal transports. The Breton canal shipping did not recover properly from this blow, and the Second World War then dealt it the “coup de grace”. In 1942 a transport ship used the lock at Châteaulin for the last time, and in 1977 the transport of goods on the Breton canals was finally over.

Taken as a whole, the Canal de Nantes à Brest and the other Breton canals came too late (competition from the railways), their operations were interrupted too often (dry periods, closure due to maintenance work), the transports took too long (among other things due to unfavorable lock operating times), the shipping revenues were far too little compared to the high construction and maintenance costs, and the wars were detrimental in every way. How the canal could work in detail can be seen in the example of slate production: Thanks to the canal, producers received expanded sales markets, but this led to the opening of more and more slate quarries, to overproduction and a massive drop in prices - and ultimately to bankruptcy large numbers of slate quarries, with corresponding job losses.

The canal today

The growing tourism with pleasure boats and houseboats has brought about a resurgence of canal shipping not only on the Canal de Nantes à Brest, but also on the other waterways of Brittany. Numerous jobs in maintenance, retail, hospitality, etc. benefit from this, and all of this in an area where everything that prevents emigration is of great importance.

Are currently navigable with boats

  • the eastern section, between Nantes and Pontivy and
  • the western section, between Port-Launay and Goariva.

With a few exceptions, the locks work manually and are usually operated by the boat crew themselves. Between Rohan and Pontivy - lock 52 (kilometer point 181.4) to lock 107 (kilometer point 205.5) - this means 2-3 days of intensive crank work over a short distance, but this is admittedly the extreme case.
The maximum permissible speed is 6 km / h on the canal and 8-10 km / h on the canalised river sections.

Along the entire length of the canal, including where the canal is not navigable. You can follow the Erdre on an attractive riverside path between Nantes and La Chapelle-sur-Erdre. Motor vehicle traffic is prohibited anywhere on the towpath. The residents of the lock keeper's houses and their visitors, the canal maintenance service and the fishermen still use the path, and the path is generally popular with joggers, walkers and recreational cyclists.

The middle section, between Pontivy and the Guerlédan dam, as well as between the rear end of the reservoir and Goariva, is currently not accessible by boats. However, long stretches are navigable here with kayaks. The overflow weirs are provided with gullies in which the kayakers can overcome the weirs. If in doubt, the kayaks must be watered out and carried around the lock; it is not possible to use the locks. Efforts are being made, however, to restore these areas as well, so that the canal can be used for tourism again, even with boats.

The junction of the waterway with the Vilaine River is now very different from what was planned at the time. Originally, the Vilaine was influenced by the tides beyond Redon. Therefore a canal was dug parallel to the Vilaine as far as Redon, which crossed the Vilaine with two locks at right angles above a lock gate in the middle of the city. Since a dam was built near Arzal in the 1970s, the tides on the Vilaine have passed and shipping can now be carried out directly on the river. The connecting channel and the associated lock were therefore taken out of service. Normally today you drive through the Redon harbor basin and leave it through the “Grand Bassin” lock to continue on the Canal de Nantes à Brest to the west.

Flora and fauna

Over 80% of its length, the canal occupies the flowing waters, some of which have been greatly expanded and developed, or at least provided with overflow weirs and locks. Only 20% of the route has been re-dug. Where the canal claims the watercourses, generally only one bank has been provided with a dam on which the towpath runs, and straightening has been carried out. The other bank has remained more or less original to this day. In many places, the former meanders can still be seen. Flora and fauna have remained correspondingly natural. For example, beaver rats ( nutria ), French. ragondin , to be observed. The water is brown and cloudy almost everywhere, but the canal is extremely rich in fish. Even if the whitefish predominate, z. B. Catch pike of a respectable size.

Lock sequence

The following shows the course of the canal through its locks, starting at its eastern end. The name of the lock is given, followed by the number of barrages at this lock and the height to be overcome (positive = upwards, negative = downwards). This is followed by the position of the lock in relation to the kilometer point of the waterway. A blocked section is marked in color and provided with a note.

lock Number of
barrages		 Lock
hub		 Location at
kilometer point		 Remarks
- - 0.0 Confluence with the Loire in Nantes
1 Saint-Fèlix 1 ?? m 0.0 Lock lift depending on the water level of the Loire
- - 1.0 Saint-Félix tunnel, length: 900 m
- - 21.0 Branch canal to Nort-sur-Erdre, length: 6 km
2 Quiheix 1 2.61 m 21.6
3 Tindière 1 2.68 m 26.2
4 Rabinière 1 2.71 m 28.9
5 sharks-Pacoret 1 2.47 m 30.0
6 cramezeul 1 2.68 m 31.0
7 Pas d'Héric 1 2.60 m 32.3
- - - Bout-de-Bois parting
8 remaudais 1 −2.65 m 40.6
9 Gué de l'Atelier 1 −2.22 m 43.8
10 terriers 1 −1.12 m 45.3
11 Blain 1 −1.49 m 48.6
12 Paudais 1 −2.61 m 51.5
13 bougard 1 −1.98 m 56.2
14 bar 1 −1.47 m 59.5
15 touches 1 −2.00 m 61.8
16 Melneuf 1 −2.00 m 65.9
17 Bellions 1 ?? m 88.7 Lock lift depending on the water level of the Vilaine
- - - Confluence with the Vilaine
- - - Redon Harbor
18 Grand Bassin 1 ?? m 95.0 Lock lift depending on the water level of the Vilaine
- - 105.2 Junction river Aff
19 Painfaut or Maclais 1 1.95 m 105.3
20th - - - Lock always open
21 Gueslin 1 2.29 m 116.6
22 Rieux 1 1.40 m 120.4
23 Beaumont 1 2.39 m 125.5
24 Foveno 1 1.93 m 129.5
25 Malestroit 1 3.65 m 132.6
26 Lanée 1 1.33 m 134.4
27 - - - Lock always open
28 Ville aux Fruglins 1 1.60 m 139.7
29 Montertelot 1 2.10 m 143.7
30 Blon 1 1.60 m 146.2
31 Guillac 1 2.00 m 149.0
32 Carmenais 1 1.70 m 152.1
33 clan 1 2.00 m 154.1
34 Saint-Jouan 1 1.40 m 155.6
35 Josselin 1 1.40 m 157.3
36 Beaufort 1 1.00 m 158.4
37 Caradec 1 2.00 m 159.8
38 Rouvray 1 1.60 m 161.4
39 Bocneuf 1 2.00 m 163.1
40 pommeleuc 1 2.20 m 165.6
41 La Tertraie 1 2.20 m 165.9
42 - - - Lock always open
43 Cadoret 1 2.00 m 169.7
44 Lié 1 1.60 m 170.9
45 Griffet 1 2.00 m 172.4
46 La Grenouillère 1 2.00 m 173.3
47 Trévérand 1 2.50 m 174.2
48 Penhouët 1 2.50 m 175.4
49 Lille 1 2.50 m 176.4
50 Timadeuc 1 2.00 m 178.4
51 Quengo 1 1.70 m 180.5
52 Rohan 1 2.30 m 181.4
53 Saint-Samson 1 2.00 m 183.6
54 Guer 1 2.00 m 184.8
55 Coët-Prat 1 2.48 m 185.8
56 Kermelin 1 2.57 m 186.8
57 Sablière 1 2.57 m 187.2
58 Kériffe 1 2.57 m 187.5
59 Boju 1 2.57 m 187.8
60 Parc Coh 1 2.57 m 188.0
61 Goiffre 1 2.57 m 188.2
62 Goirball 1 2.57 m 188.5
63 Guernogas 1 2.57 m 188.7
64 Branguily 1 2.57 m 189.0
65 Neau-Blanche 1 2.57 m 189.2
66 Pont-Terre 1 2.57 m 189.4
67 Forêt 1 3.37 m 189.6
68 Menn-Merle 1 1.78 m 189.7
69 Toulhouët 1 1.78 m 189.9
70 Ville Perro 1 2.58 m 190.1
71 Gouvly 1 2.59 m 190.2
72 Saint-Gonnery 1 2.59 m 190.4
73 Kervezo 1 2.59 m 190.6
74 douars 1 2.59 m 190.7
75 Grand Pré 1 2.59 m 190.9
76 Hilvern 1 2.58 m 191.1
77 La Pépinière 1 2.58 m 191.2
78 Bel Air 1 2.78 m 191.4
- - - Parting Hilvern
79 Kéroret 1 −2.74 m 196.3
80 He Houët 1 −2.53 m 196.4
81 Kérivy 1 −2.54 m 196.5
82 Parc-Er-Lann 1 −2.53 m 196.7
83 Kerihoué 1 −3.04 m 196.8
84 Parc-Lann-Bihan 1 −2.03 m 196.9
85 Lann-Vras 1 −2.54 m 197.0
86 Parc-Buisson 1 −2.54 m 197.2
87 Couëdic 1 −2.54 m 197.3
88 Joli-Cœur 1 −2.69 m 199.6
89 Parc-Lann-Hir 1 −2.88 m 199.8
90 Parc-Lann-Ergo 1 −2.54 m 199.9
91 Parc-Bihan 1 −2.54 m 200.0
92 Kerponer 1 −2.55 m 200.1
93 Restériard 1 −2.53 m 200.2
94 Tri-Parc-Lann-Favilette 1 −2.54 m 200.4
95 Parc-Bras 1 −2.74 m 200.6
96 Ros 1 −2.34 m 200.7
97 Guerlaunay 1 −2.54 m 200.8
98 Bohumet 1 −2.54 m 201.1
99 Kervégan 1 −2.55 m 201.3
100 Tren-Deur-Ros 1 −2.50 m 202.0
101 Kerveno 1 −2.49 m 202.3
102 Parc-Lann-Hoarem 1 −2.59 m 202.8
103 sharks 1 −2.55 m 203.5
104 Villeneuve 1 −2.50 m 204.0
105 Kerdudaval 1 −2.54 m 204.5
106 Kervert 1 −2.54 m 205.1
107 Ponteau 1 −2.54 m 205.5
- - 206.0 It flows into the Blavet River near Pontivy
- - - Blocked section between Pontivy and Goariva
with Glomel parting
192 Goariva 1 −2.60 m 279.4
193 Kervoulédic 1 −2.60 m 280.1
194 Prat-ar-Born 1 −2.60 m 280.5
195 pellerm 1 −2.60 m 281.0
196 Kergoutois 1 −2.60 m 281.7
197 Pont d'Auvlas 1 −2.50 m 282.4
198 Roc'h-Caër 1 −2.55 m 283.2
199 Lille 1 −2.45 m 283.8
200 Pont-ar-Brost 1 −2.50 m 284.3
201 Kergaden 1 −2.50 m 284.9
202 Kerdugnes 1 −2.57 m 285.8
203 Kergoat 1 −2.45 m 286.7
204 Coz-Castel 1 −2.48 m 287.6
205 Kergoff 1 −2.54 m 289.1
206 Stêrvalen 1 −2.47 m 291.2
207 Le Stêr 1 −2.55 m 293.4
208 Lesnévez 1 −1.97 m 295.7
209 Pont Meets 1 −2.01 m 297.2
210 Penity 1 −2.27 m 299.1
211 Roz-ar-Gaouen 1 −1.71 m 301.7
212 Méros 1 −1.98 m 303.3
213 Rosily 1 −1.97 m 305.3
214 Lanmeur 1 −2.14 m 307.3
215 Goaker 1 −1.82 m 309.9
216 Moustoir 1 −1.95 m 311.8
217 Boudrac'h 1 −1.95 m 314.5
218 Bizernic 1 −1.95 m 316.3
219 Châteauneuf 1 −1.95 m 318.0
220 kerboaret 1 −1.93 m 319.9
221 Kersalig 1 −1.92 m 321.8
222 Prat-Pourrig 1 −2.17 m 325.6
223 Nénez 1 −1.98 m 328.2
224 Rosvéguen 1 −1.97 m 330.9
225 buzit 1 −1.97 m 334.2
226 Saint-Algon 1 −1.89 m 336.3
227 Stéréon 1 −1.92 m 338.1
228 Coat-Pont 1 −1.99 m 340.9
229 Lothey 1 −2.02 m 343.4
230 Trésiguidy 1 −1.88 m 345.7
231 Guillec 1 −1.69 m 348.7
232 Aulne 1 −2.02 m 350.6
233 Prat-Hir 1 −1.95 m 353.4
234 Toul-ar-Rodo 1 −1.90 m 356.2
235 Coatigrac'h 1 −1.97 m 357.8
236 Châteaulin 1 −1.30 m 360.4
- - 396.0 End of the canal near Landévennec and confluence with the
Bay of Brest

Source: David Edwards-May: Inland Waters of France, all navigable rivers and canals . Edition Maritim, Hamburg 1997, ISBN 3-922117-61-9 .

literature

  • Jacques Guillet [et al.]: La batellerie bretonne. La vie quotidienne des mariniers de l'ouest . Le Chasse-Marée / Editions de l'Estran, 1988.
  • Jacques & Lauriane Clouteau: Le canal de Nantes à Brest. Randonneur Guide . Editions du Vieux Crayon, 2006. ISBN 978-2-916446-01-1
  • The Nantes-Brest Canal. A Brittany Guide . Red Dog Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9536001-9-9
  • Kader Benferhat (et al.): Le canal de Nantes à Brest . Ouest-France, 2007. ISBN 978-2-7373-4205-9
  • Thierry Guidet: Le canal. A pied de Nantes à Brest . Ubacs, 1991. ISBN 978-2-905373-50-2
  • Jean Hamon: Les bagnards du canal de Nantes à Brest. La vie au camp de Glomel (1823-1832) . 4e éd. Keltia Graphic, 2003. ISBN 978-2-913953-59-8
  • Loic Abed: Le canal de Nantes à Brest . Montreuil-Bellay: CMD, 1998. ISBN 2-909826-82-1

Movie

  • In the heart of Brittany. Along the Nantes-Brest Canal. Documentary, Germany, 2008, 44:20 min., Script and director: Susanne Gebhardt, Norbert Bandel, production: SR , series: Reisewege, first broadcast: March 11, 2009 by SR, summary by ARD .
    In 2011, the authors received the Golden Columbus , the travel journalists' prize.

Web links

Commons : Canal de Nantes à Brest  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b The information on the length of the canal is based on the information on the Canal de Nantes à Brest from SANDRE (French), accessed on November 10, 2011, rounded to full kilometers.
  2. ↑ Columbus Prize 2011 - Gold for Susanne Gebhardt in the category "Long TV reports " ( Memento from November 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) in: vdrj.de, 2011 and in film data .

See also