| The Marne-Rhine Canal at Niderviller, Moselle | |
| Specifications | |
| Canal length: | 313 km (194 mi) [1] |
| Original locks: | 178 [2] |
| Current locks: | 154 [1] |
| History | |
| Construction began: | 1838 [3] |
| Date completed: | 1853 [3] |
| Geography | |
| Starts at: | Marne in Vitry-le-François [1] |
| Ends at: | Rhine in Strasbourg [1] |
| Connects to: | Rhine, Marne, Meuse River, Moselle River, Canal des houillères de la Sarre |
The Marne-Rhine Canal (French: Canal de la Marne au Rhin) is a canal in north eastern France. It connects the river Marne in Vitry-le-François with the Rhine in Strasbourg. Combined with the canalised part of the Marne, it allows transport between Paris and eastern France. The original objective of the canal was to connect Paris and the north of France with the Alsace, the Rhine, and Germany. [3]
The 313 km (194 mi) long canal was opened in 1853. The canal is suited for small ships (péniches), maximum size 38.5 m long and 5.05 m wide. It has 154 locks, including two in the Moselle River. There are four tunnels. The Saint-Louis-Arzviller inclined plane is located between Arzviller and Saint-Louis and its construction replaced some 17 locks. [3]
The Marne-Rhine Canal is connected with the following navigable waterways (from west to east):
Its course crosses the following départements and towns:
The Voies Navigables France Itinéraires Fluviaux breaks the canal into eastern and western sections. The western sections goes from Vitry-le-François to Toul over 131.4 km (81.6 mi) via 97 locks. The eastern section goes from Frouard to Strasbourg over 159 km (99 mi) via 57 locks. [4] The 23.4 km (14.5 mi) section between Toul and Frouard is closed and a canalized section of the Moselle River is used. [3].
The Through the French Canals book breaks the canal into eastern and western sections, but with a different separation point. The western sections goes from Vitry-le-François to Réchicourt over 222 km (138 mi) via 121 locks. The eastern section goes from Réchicourt to Strasbourg over 91 km (57 mi) via 33 locks. [1]