Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The aqueduct of Louveciennes, also known as Marly's aqueduct, was built between 1681 and 1685 during the reign of Louis XIV to supply water to the gardens of the castle of Marly and the park of Versailles. It was part of a complex hydraulic system, including Marly's machine, which pumped water from the Seine via fourteen blades. The water was delivered via pipes on two paved ramps, climbing 150 metres of elevation to Louveciennes hill.

The structure, consisting of 36 arches by 643 metres long, was led by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, then Robert de Cotte. The entrepreneurs Jean Bailly and Louis Rocher made the arches, while Nicolas Le Jongleur built the tower and the look of the Jongleur in 1683. The aqueduct, originally planned until the Jongleur's eyes, was modified during construction to include an underground siphon.

The aqueduct was decommissioned in 1866, replaced by underground pipes. During the siege of Paris in 1870, the Levant tower served as an observation post for Guillaume I and Bismarck. Ranked a historic monument in 1953, it now crosses the Arches Cemetery. The Levant Tower was renovated between 1998 and 2000.

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