
Introduction:
The Canal du Midi a remarkable heritage for our city, for several reasons.
First of all, it provides us with a significant natural setting, where we can cycle, engage in sports, or simply relax.
It brings tourism to our city, thanks to the numerous pleasure boaters who come and navigate through Toulouse with their boats.
In Toulouse, it offers us magnificent works of art, unusualy places and locations where we can enjoy a drink or party.
That's great new ! The Toulouse city Hall's plan to revitalize the Canal du Midi over a 20-year period will be highly beneficial.
The goals is to enhance the greenery and pedestrian accessibility of Canal du Midi.
I suggest in this post to present the Canal du Midi, highlighting the main interesting landmarks located in Toulouse.
The starting point: " The Port de l'Embouchure ":

It is a basin where the two Canals converge, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Indeed, the small bridge on the left side of the photo is the direction to go towards the ocean.
We can see that many barges are parked there.
Exactly to the right, in 1768, the Canal de Brienne was built, traversing Toulouse and allowing access to the Garonne River.
In the middle, in 1834, the digging of the " Canal latéral " was completed, providing a direct route to the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea without having to pass through the Garonne River.

We can observe in the center of the photo a monumental sculpture, dating back to 1775 and created by the artist " François Lucas " .
It stands at a leight of 15 meters, is 4 merters wide and is constructed from white Italian marble.
It is a tribute to the great works, progress and property.
Today, this basin serves as a parking area for Toulouser's sightseeing boats, for those who clean the Canal, and for a museum barge, which I will tell you about later.
This barge is a museum dedicated to the glory of " Claude Nougaro " , a deceaded Toulouse-born singer who had written and performed a true anthem to love for his hometown: " O TOULOUSE ".
The Filtres Basin:

It consist of two parallel basins next to the mouth harbor.
It is actually a system built in the 19th. century to flush out the waters of the Garonne River to supply water to the lateral canal.
All around the site, wooden houses from 1954 can be seen.
Their purpose was to accommodate workers of the Canal du Midi, and today they are occupied by personnal from the " Voies Navigables de France ".
In this peaceful place, all year round, there is a house that serves as a " guiguette " where you can enjoy a drink or eat something in complete tranquility.
Indeed, in this charming place, we are no longer in the city center of Toulouse, there reigns incredible peace and tranquility.
Amust do, it's pleasant and exotic.
Le Canal de Brienne:

He is the one who crosses Toulouse to reach the Garonne over a lenght of 1450 meters.
The Toulouse riverboats indeed offer this circuit during the fine season.
When you navigate it, you come across numerous barges, some of which are restaurant.
The jonction with the Garonne is made via a large lock, near the law faculty of Toulouse and the Bussiness School.
It bears the name of Saint-Pierre double lock, due to the presence of the Saint-Pierre des Cuisines church which is located not far away.
It was built between 1776 and 1777 and the left bank, you can see the lock keeper's house which is now a restaurant.
At the time, it was the houses of the lock keeper who opened and closed the lock, and of the guard responsible for policing the Canal.
The city Hall of Toulouse will soon enhance this site by renovating the lock, the walls, and by creating a more peaceful atmosphere trough re-greening the area.
Le Canal latéral " The side Channel ":
So it is he who crosses Toulouse, allowing to avoid the Garonne and to connect the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterrnean Sea.
We will look together at the interessing things we can see while navigating through it.
The statue of the designer of the Canal du Midi: " Pierre Paul Riquet " :

It is located on the " Allées Jean-Jaurès " in Toulouse, at the end of the Ramblas when viewed from " Place Wilson ".
Born in Béziers in 1609 and died in Toulouse in 1780, he quickly became a successful businessman, aspiring to nobility.
That is why he built this fabulous work the " Canal du Midi ".
The Saint-Sauveur Port:

The " Port Saint-Sauveur " is the marina of Toulouse.
It serves as a stopping point for pleasur boaters who are visiting the city.
It is worth noting that approximately 70 % of these boaters are foreigners.
There are all the amenities on site fot boats and boaters.
As part of the revitalization of the Canal du Midi, the municipality will renovate this site by creating a calming and green environment.
Les Cales de la Raboud à Toulouse: " The Raboud holds in Toulouse ".

Raboud means: renovation.
They were built in 1830 and are emblematic of the Cnal du Midi because they signify the modernization of the shipyard : they are the first dry docks!!!.
The site is classified as a historic monument and is still used for the maintenace of boats and barges.
It is located in The Pont des Demoiselles district and is connected to the Canal du Midi.
It includes a central basin which serves four planer basins, intended to repair boats in dry dock.
Road aqueduct " Des Herbettes ":

It was built in 1983, and was inscribed an the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.
It is 75 meters long, with a depth of 3 meters and a width of 29 meters.
This bridge allows the Canal du Midi to pass over the Toulouse ring road.
That's all for today.
I hope, that you enjoy reading this post about the Canal du Midi in Toulouse.
Welcome in Toulouse.
The Blog from Toulouse.
Greetings Franck.
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