Marne–Rhine Canal

Marne au Rhin Canal de la between Saverne and Lutzelbourg

The Canal de la Marne au Rhin ( German Rhine - Marne-Canal ) is a ship canal in northeastern France, which runs in Champagne -Ardenne, Lorraine and Alsace.

Course

The canal connects the Lateral Canal à la Marne ( German: Marne- side channel ) and the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne ( German: canal between Champagne and Burgundy ) in Vitry -le- François with the Moselle at Nancy and the Rhine at Strasbourg. He crosses in its course two watersheds:

  • Mauvages - summit level between the Marne and the Moselle and the
  • Vosges summit level between Meurthe and the Rhine.

Connection to other channels

  • Branch duct after Houdelaincourt,
  • At Troussey branches of the Canal de la Meuse (formerly Canal de l' Est, industry- Nord) from,
  • East of Nancy leads the Canal de jonction de Nancy to the Canal des Vosges ( German: Vosges canal, formerly the Canal de l' Est, industry- Sud )
  • Near Gondrexange the Canal de la Sarre Houillères of branches ( German: Saar channel ) from,
  • In Strasbourg, he comes with the old northern section of the Canal du Rhone au Rhin together ( German Rhine - Rhone canal ).

Coordinates

  • Source of the canal: 48 ° 43 '48 " N, 4 ° 36' 29" O48.734.6080555555556
  • Endpoint of the channel: 48 ° 35 ' 38 "N, 7 ° 48' 13" O48.5938888888897.8036111111111Koordinaten: 48 ° 35 ' 38 "N, 7 ° 48' 13" E

By Crossed departments

  • Marne
  • Meuse
  • Meurthe -et -Moselle
  • Moselle
  • Bas- Rhin

Places on the canal

  • Vitry -le- François
  • Bar-le- Duc
  • Ligny -en- Barrois
  • Toul
  • Frouard
  • Nancy
  • Hesse
  • Saverne
  • Hochfelden

Technical Infrastructure

The channel is of type produces a double watersheds channel. He now has a length of 293 kilometers and a total of 154 locks, developed for ships with the standard size Freycinet. It consists of the following sections:

  • Western section of Vitry -le- François to Toul with 97 locks. In the Mauvages - summit level of the channel reaches a height of 281 meters. This section includes the 4,880 -meter-long tunnel Mauvages, were towed by the boats and ships sooner with an electric locomotive. Their task has now been taken over by an electrically operated chain tug ( shipping chain ). Another tunnel on this section is the tunnel of Foug, with a length of 866 meters.
  • The original central part of the channel between Toul and Frouard was decommissioned and replaced by the channelized river Mosel. This section is now officially no longer the canal.
  • Eastern section of Frouard to Strasbourg with 57 locks. With the Vosges summit level of the canal climbs a height of 267 meters and has two tunnels of 480 and 2,310 meters at Niderviller and Arzviller. This can on it's own drive through ( lane control ) vessels today, was once again an electric locomotive in use. The climb to the summit level is via the 15.70 -meter-high sluice Réchicourt, shortly after the tunnel of Arzviller the ship lift Saint-Louis/Arzviller leads back down into the valley of the Zorn.

History

It was finished in 1853 and was until 1979, with its 315 kilometers of the longest canal in France. This year, the channel section in the Moselle valley was closed ( between Toul and Frouard ) and replaced by the canalized Moselle associated with the expansion of the Moselle. Since then, the navigable channel has only a length of 293 kilometers. In the years 1964-1969 a Lock staircase of 17 locks was shortened by the construction of the oblique hydraulic lift Saint-Louis/Arzviller.

Economic Importance

Today, due to the small lock dimensions and the variety of locks, freight transport on the canal is no longer meaningful. The waterway is however used extensively for water tourism with sports and houseboats. Along the canal itself Sport Boat rental companies have settled.

The canal towpath is expanded in Alsace ( Bas- Rhin department ) from the Vosges to Strasbourg on a busy bike path.

Gallery

Skew boat lift Saint-Louis/Arzviller

Eastern tunnel mouth at Arzviller track with the Treidelbahn

East Gate of the sluice Réchicourt- le -Château

Combined sewer and railway bridge over the Meurthe

Lock in Toul

Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine (region) Bar-le-Duc Nancy, France Ill (France) Saulx (river) Ornain Meuse (river) Meurthe (river) Marne (river) Bas-Rhin Ligny-en-Barrois Hesse (Moselle) Hochfelden (Bas-Rhin) Chain boat navigation Vosges Mountains Pleasure craft
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