Canal des Deux Mers
The Canal des Deux Mers (German: Canal of the Two Seas ) is the name given to a project that has appeared again and again in the history of French canal construction in southern France to establish a navigable connection between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean with a wide variety of possible solutions. Finally, an extension of the Canal du Midi from Toulouse to the west was realized , which is known as Canal latéral à la Garonne (German: Garonne side canal ). This expansion actually made it possible to link the two seas for shipping, so that the unofficial term Canal des Deux Mers is sometimes used for the two canals .
In reality, coming from the Atlantic, one must use the following natural and artificial waterways:
- the Gironde , from Royan to the confluence of the Dordogne ,
- the Garonne , past Bordeaux , to Castets-en-Dorthe ,
- the Garonne Lateral Canal to Toulouse ,
- the Canal du Midi to its confluence with the Étang de Thau ,
- Cross the Étang de Thau to Sète .
In Sète you finally arrived at the Mediterranean Sea. The total route is around 590 kilometers long.
Two branch channels make it possible to reach the Mediterranean in other places:
- at Port-la-Nouvelle via the Canal de Jonction and the Canal de la Robine
- at Agde over the river Hérault
From Sète you can continue on the Canal du Rhône à Sète along the coast, through the Camargue , into the Rhone .
Web links
- Jean-François Benne: Le Canal des Deux Mers. La jonction des deux mers. (French)