Pierre-Paul Riquet

Pierre- Paul Riquet, Baron of Bonrepos (* June 29, 1609 in Beziers, France, † October 1, 1680 in Toulouse ) was a French officer and engineer. He is the builder of the 240 km long Canal du Midi which connects the city of Toulouse with the Mediterranean.

Life

Riquet's date of birth is uncertain. In the literature, the birth years 1604 and 1609 approximately equal often called. However, since now an inscription was found who, according to Riquet died in 1680 at the age of 71 years, 1609 is considered to be relatively secure. The date June 29, is a scholarly presumption of historians which assumes that the feast of Saints Peter and Paul has given rise to Pierre-Paul Riquet's name.

The Riquet family comes in part from Florence and partly from Provence, where she was originally called Riquetty. His father was a high official and successful businessman. He made ​​sure that Pierre -Paul also struck the civil service, as an inspector for the salt tax ( double Gabelle ). In 1630, he became chief tax collector, fermiers généraux.

In 1637 the 28 -year-old Pierre- Paul Riquet married the wealthy Catherine de Milhau, also from Beziers. He sat down with her in the small town of Revel ( Languedoc ). The couple had five children, daughters Catherine, Marthe and Anne and sons Jean -Mathias and Pierre -Paul.

In 1661 was Riquet general tax farmers of Languedoc. Both his lucrative profession as well as other business activities had brought him a very considerable fortune, he had numerous real estate and extensive lands. He was not noble, but was sometimes addressed on the basis of land ownership as Baron de Bonrepos.

Planning of the Canal du Midi

Since his early youth was Pierre- Paul Riquet from a canal project fascinated intended to link the French Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean. He was confronted with this idea already nine years old. In 1618 the Assemblée des Etats du Languedoc was presented a plan for a Canal des Deux Mers. Riquet was allowed to participate in the company of his father, who was a member of the Assembly. The project was approved by the Assembly - rejected - even by Riquet's father. Pierre -Paul but busy from then on his life with this idea.

Pierre -Paul Riquet was particularly interested in for science and mathematics. He earned over time in self-study extensive knowledge of civil engineering, geology, hydrology and other disciplines, so that he was able to plan such a channel in detail. Visited immediately after its opening in 1642 and he studied the Canal de Briare, connecting the Loire and the Seine.

Such a channel was up to this time as not feasible, there stood at the highest point no water for filling available. Riquet solved the problem in which he approaches led water from about 30 km away Montagnes Noires via a duct system at the summit level. He had spent years researching to develop this solution in the hill country of the Montagnes Noires, with him zugutekam the " home advantage " that his hometown Revel is on the edge of the area.

In 1662 Riquet had completed his plans for the Canal du Midi. He had both the pipeline route in detail set as well as the planned 350 engineering constructions that were necessary for the operation of the channel. Although he " Royal Canal " called his project diplomatically, he could not obtain an audience with the French king Louis XIV. But through the agency of the Bishop of Toulouse he could audition for Finance Minister Jean -Baptiste Colbert and submit his plans. Colbert immediately recognized the economic potential of this project. After examination by a committee of experts gave King Louis XIV in 1666 for permission to build the canal.

Construction of the Canal du Midi

In 1667 the construction of the canal began. The site became the largest in Europe, for a distance of 241 km worked 12,000 people. It had seven million cubic meters of earth to be excavated and hundreds of buildings - mainly bridges and locks, but also a reservoir, the reservoir of Saint- Ferréol - were built. After the for such a large project considerably short construction period of 14 years the canal was officially opened on May 24, 1681.

Pierre -Paul Riquet was responsible for both the planning and the execution of construction. He took care of the funding to the negotiations with land owners and the construction supervision. At the same time he had numerous intrigues and hostilities withstand. It was Riquet destination to experience the completion of the canal. In order to achieved a rapid progress, he financed a portion of the canal construction itself first he sold all his possessions, after which his wife, and finally he took on large debts. In this way, the channel could be completed as planned, but Riquet was economically ruined at the end of his life.

Riquet is described as a very hardworking, efficient, imaginative and open -hearted person. He was a strong leader, straightforward and extremely law-abiding. He possessed an employer social skills, his handling of workers was unusual for that time. The workers received an above-average wages, and they got it, even if they could not work because of illness or other circumstances (eg bad weather ). Paid was not, as usual, a daily wage but a monthly salary. The people of the region like working for Riquet, and the high personnel requirements of the channel construction site led to a labor shortage in other areas. Being in a year, the winery complained that they could not find workers for the harvest replied Riquet, but they should simply offer higher wages than he.

Pierre -Paul Riquet not see the completion of "his" channel. He died on October 1, 1680, approximately seven months before the opening, in Toulouse. He was at the end of his life broke and exhausted, and he was previously already collapsed twice. The canal construction was continued by his eldest son, Jean -Mathias Riquet.

Aftermath

The heirs Riquet required many years to pay off the debt that her father had taken for the canal construction. But Riquet - and thus his descendants - had received the privilege on revenue from the channel by the King, the family Riquet finally was able to generate high returns by the Canal du Midi.

The Canal du Midi resulted in a considerable economic boom in his region, and the people knew that ultimately appreciate. In 1838 Riquet was a monument erected in his native town of Beziers, in 1853 in Toulouse. In addition to the Paris Métro station Riquet following streets and squares were named after him:

  • The Alleys Paul Riquet in Béziers
  • Avenue Riquet in Castelnaudary
  • Avenue Paul Riquet in Bram, Castries, Labége and Villesèquelande
  • Avenue Pierre -Paul Riquet in Donne Ville and Saint- Ferréol
  • Boulevard Riquet in Revel
  • Boulevard Paul Riquet in Cape Stang, Marseille and Poilhes
  • Boulevard Pierre -Paul Riquet in Toulouse
  • Impasse Riquet in Abeilhan, Aubagne, Blagnac and Seysses
  • Impasse Paul Riquet in Cape Stang, Labège, Narbonne, Péret and Sallèles- d'Aude
  • Impasse Pierre- Paul Riquet in Roques
  • Place in Caraman Riquet, Toulouse and Viviers
  • Place Paul Riquet in Sète
  • Promenade Paul Riquet in Puichéric
  • Quai Riquet in Carcassonne and Gardouch
  • Quai Paul Riquet in Argeliers, Bellegarde and Sète
  • Rue Riquet in Achères, Arcueil, Aulnay -Sous -Bois, Clermont- Ferrand, Narbonne, Paris, Port-la -Nouvelle, Saissac, Tonneins, Toulouse and Trebes
  • Rue Paul Riquet in Bellegarde, Beziers, Boujan -sur -Libron, Castelnaudary, cerium, Fontiers -Cabardès, Frontignan, Homps, La Palme, Somail, Lignan- sur- Orb, Marseillan, Maureilhan, Montauban, Montech, Montpellier, Perpignan, Puisserguier, Renneville, Revel, Saint- Hyppolyte, Saint -Laurent -de- la- Salt marsh, Saint- Sulpice- sur- Lèze, Sallèles- d'Aude, Sérignan, Valence- d'Agen, Vendres and vias
  • Rue Pierre -Paul Riquet in Agde, Agen, Canejan, Merignac, Montesquieu- Lauragais, Saint- Rustice, Toulouse, Rieux- Minervois and Ventenac -en- Minervois
Bonrepos-Riquet Revel (Haute-Garonne) Natural science Jean-Baptiste Colbert Integrated Authority File
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