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Origin and history

The former aqueduct of Pontgouin, located in Berchères-Saint-Germain, is a vestige of the canal of the Eure (or canal Louis XIV), a colossal hydraulic project launched in 1685 under Louis XIV. Designed by Vauban, this canal was to bring water from the Eure to the reservoirs of Versailles, about 80 km long, to feed the fountains and gardens of the royal estate. The site, interrupted in 1688 by the war of the Augsburg League, was abandoned despite 9 million pounds spent and 10,000 dead (soldiers and workers), victims of malaria fevers and accidents.

The original project included a 17 km monumental water bridge, replaced by cast iron siphons and tunnels, such as the Arche de la Vallée at Berchères-Saint-Germain (161 m long). The work involved up to 30,000 men, including 22,000 soldiers (10 per cent of the army), under the leadership of Isaac Robelin and the Marquis d'Uxelles. The Boizard dam and locks, classified as Historic Monuments in 1910, mark the capture point of the Eure.

Despite its incompleteness, the canal leaves remarkable remains: tunnels (Chartainvilliers), arches (Saint-Arnoult-des-Bois), and the maintenon aqueduct (47 arcades, ranked in 1875). These works illustrate Vauban's innovative techniques, such as coal-fired lime ovens or materials approach channels. The project, a symbol of versatility, failed to meet financial and human constraints, but remains a unique testimony of the engineering of the Great Century.

The route crossed Eure-et-Loir and the Yvelines, passing through Pontgouin, Maintenon, and Rambouillet. Today, associations are working to preserve these remains, such as the Association for the Study and Protection of the Vestiges of the Canal of Louis XIV. The archives also reveal the involvement of Flemish and Alsatian entrepreneurs, such as Martin Alexandre (locks) and Germain Leduc (cruisely), recruited by Vauban for their expertise.

The Eure Canal is part of a series of attempts to resolve the water shortage in Versailles, after the partial failure of the Marly machine (1681-1682). Louvois, Superintendent of Buildings, relied on La Hire's studies to validate the feasibility of the project. In 5 months Vauban wrote a detailed estimate of 40 pages, describing the construction methods and materials, such as iron for siphons. The site, which was stopped in 1688, was never restarted, leaving a network of works half completed, now protected.

The remains still visible, such as the Berchères-Saint-Germain tunnel (registered in 1934) or the arches of Saint-Arnoult, attract historians and tourists. The project, though failed, reveals the technical audacity of the time and the logistical limitations of a state at permanent war. The 10,000 dead and the 9 million pounds swallowed also symbolize the excesses of the reign of Louis XIV.

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