Canal des Ardennes

Canal des Ardennes
	Course sketch of the canal
Water code	FR : B5-0102 , FR : H1-0102 , FR : H12-4012
location	France , Grand Est region
length	99 km
Built	1827-1831
Expanded	1842-1846
class	I ( Freycinet class )
Beginning	Branch from the Canal de la Meuse at Pont-à-Bar
The End	Crossing into the Canal latéral à l'Aisne near Vieux-lès-Asfeld
Descent structures	48
Ports	Vouziers , Rethel , Asfeld
Junctions, crossings	Branch canal to Vouziers
Used river	Bar , Aisne
Outstanding structures	Saint-Aignan tunnel , Le Chesne lock chain
Kilometrage	Direction to the Aisne or in its direction of flow
	The canal at Pont-à-Bar

The Canal des Ardennes (German Ardennes Canal ) is a French shipping canal that runs in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region .

geography

The canal is part of an inland waterway that connects Belgium and the Ardennes area with the greater Paris area. This route consists of the following waterways:

Maas (French: Meuse ) - as a canalized river
Canal de la Meuse (formerly: Canal de l'Est - branche Nord )
Canal des Ardennes
Canal latéral à l'Aisne
Aisne - as a canalized river
Oise - as a canalized river

Course and technical infrastructure

The Canal des Ardennes begins in the town of Pont-à-Bar , in the municipality of Dom-le-Mesnil , where it connects to the Canal de la Meuse (German: Maas Canal ) and ends at Vieux-lès-Asfeld , where it merges into the Canal latéral à l'Aisne. It has a total length of 99 kilometers.

It consists of 2 sections with separate mileage counting

from Pont-à-Bar to Rilly-sur-Aisne

This part is a canal of the watershed type , has a length of 39 kilometers and follows the river Bar to the watershed at Le Chesne . There is a tunnel at Saint-Aignan . It has 34 locks , 27 of which are over a distance of only nine kilometers on the descent to the Aisne, which it reaches at Rilly-sur-Aisne.

from Vouziers to Vieux-lès-Asfeld

This part is a canal of the side canal type , follows the Aisne River for 60 kilometers and has 14 locks.

Both sections meet in Rilly-sur Aisne, where a branch canal leads to Vouziers.

Coordinates

Part 1:

Starting point of the canal: 49 ° 41 ′ 37 ″ N , 4 ° 49 ′ 46 ″ E Coordinates: 49 ° 41 ′ 37 ″ N , 4 ° 49 ′ 46 ″ E49.693611111111 4.8294444444444
End point of the canal: 49 ° 29 ′ 25 ″ N , 4 ° 38 ′ 38 ″ E49.490277777778 4.6438888888889

Section 2:

Starting point of the canal: 49 ° 24 ′ 14 " N , 4 ° 42 ′ 13" E49.403888888889 4.7036111111111
End point of canal: 49 ° 27 '28 " N , 4 ° 5' 53" E49.457777777778 4.0980555555556

Places on the canal

The Saint-Aignan Canal Tunnel

history

1823 Start of construction work
1827–1831 Opening of the canal in stages
1836 Opening of the Vouziers branch canal for shipping
1842–1846 Modernization of the Le Chesne lock staircase

Economical meaning

Freight shipping has gradually lost its importance. Nevertheless, the waterway is still used more frequently by cargo ships today. Pleasure boats and houseboats are less common than other waterways.

Web links

Commons : Canal des Ardennes - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Information on the channel in the Babel project (French)
Saint-Aignan Canal Tunnel. In: Structurae
Tourism on the canal

literature

David Edwards-May, Inland Waters of France , 5th edition, Verlag Edition Maritim, Hamburg 1997, ISBN 3-922117-61-9
Navicarte Guide de navigation fluvial - n ° 8 , July 2005, Edition Grafocarte, ISBN 2-7416-0162-3

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b The information on the length of the canal is based on the information on the Canal des Ardennes (ascent to vertex posture) at SANDRE (French), the Canal des Ardennes (descent from vertex posture) at SANDRE (French), and the Vouziers branch canal at SANDRE (French ), accessed on December 8, 2011, rounded to full kilometers.