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Canal de Marans à La Rochelle

Buildings and structures in Charente-MaritimeCanals in FranceCanals opened in 1875Tourist attractions in Charente-MaritimeTransport in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Vague or ambiguous time from September 2012
CanalDeMaransPontDeDompierre
CanalDeMaransPontDeDompierre

The Canal de Marans à La Rochelle, also known as Canal de Marans, Canal de Rompsay (French pronunciation: ​[kanal də ʁɔ̃se]) or Canal de La Rochelle depending on the location, is a French canal in the Charente-Maritime department connecting the city of La Rochelle with the town of Marans. It also connects the river of the Sèvre Niortaise to the harbour at La Rochelle. The canal goes through the communes of Dompierre-sur-Mer, Andilly and Sainte-Soulle. It is 24.5 km long, with 4 locks, and has a total level change of 1.7 m. It has a width of 5.2 m. The canal was built in the 19th century in order to foster trade between the two cities. It was part of a great project of a North-South canal connecting the river Loire to the Adour. The project was ordered by imperial decision of Napoleon I on July 17, 1805, with the objective of connecting Niort with La Rochelle. It was started in 1806, but only open in 1875, and only reached La Rochelle in 1888. It was built with the forced labour of prisoners. When it was completed however, the advent of the train (with the establishment of a track between Nantes and La Rochelle) meant that the canal fell into disuse. Navigation on the canal was totally stopped after the Second World War. It is today not navigable. Today the canal allows for picturesque walks between the two cities. It is renowned for its flora and fauna. The waters of the canal discharge into the Maubec reservoir at La Rochelle, just before the tidal bassin, and its waters contribute to scour the harbour and navigable channels.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Canal de Marans à La Rochelle (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Canal de Marans à La Rochelle
Rue du Docteur Loppé, La Rochelle

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N 46.15 ° E -1.1333333333333 °
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Rue du Docteur Loppé
17000 La Rochelle
Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
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La Rochelle
La Rochelle

La Rochelle (UK: , US: , French: [la ʁɔʃɛl] (listen); Poitevin-Saintongeais: La Rochéle; Occitan: La Rochèla [la ruˈtʃɛlɔ]) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With 75,735 inhabitants in 2017, La Rochelle is the most populated commune in the department and ranks fifth in the New Aquitaine region after Bordeaux, the regional capital, Limoges, Poitiers and Pau. Its inhabitants are called "les Rochelaises" and "les Rochelais". Situated on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean the city is connected to the Île de Ré by a 2.9-kilometre-long (1+3⁄4-mile) bridge completed on 19 May 1988. Since the Middle-Ages the harbour has opened onto a protected strait, the Pertuis d'Antioche and is regarded as a "Door océane" or gateway to the ocean because of the presence of its three ports (fishing, trade and yachting). The city has a strong commercial tradition, having an active port from very early on in its history. La Rochelle underwent sustained development in the middle ages, and has maintained a standing in modern times because of its port, La Pallice, the only deep water port of the French Atlantic coast; it is ranked as the sixth most important port of France. The city traces its origins to the Gallo-Roman period, attested by the remains of important salt marshes and villas. The Dukes of Aquitaine granted it a charter as a free port in 1130. With the opening of the English market following the second marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, the presence of the Knights Templar and the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem quickly made this small town the largest port on the Atlantic.To this day, the city still possesses a rich historical fabric, including the Saint-Nicholas tower, and an urban heritage. The capital of Aunis, it has become the most important coastal city between the Loire and Gironde estuaries. La Rochelle's urban activities are many in number and strongly differentiated, being a city with port and industrial functions that are still important, but also including a predominantly administrative and tertiary sector that is reinforced by the university and a rapidly developing tourism industry. In the early 21st century, the city has consistently been ranked among France's most liveable cities.