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Origin and history

The aqueducts of Arcueil and Cachan are part of the Medici aqueduct, built in the early seventeenth century under the impulse of Marie de Medici to supply drinking water to Paris. He was commissioned in 1623 and captured the sources of Rungis (Val-de-Marne) and followed an underground route of 12 km, punctuated with gazes and bridges-aqueducts, including Arcueil-Cachan, the only remaining aerial work. This aqueduct, still in operation, was designed to serve the palace of Luxembourg and the fountains of the left bank, then abandoned.

The project was launched in 1609 under Henry IV, with the acquisition of land in Rungis. After the king's assassination, Marie de Medicis revived the work in 1612, entrusting the construction to Jean Coingt, then to his son-in-law Jean Gobelain. The young Louis XIII laid the first stone of the look of Rungis in 1613. Aqueduct was completed in 1623, but its complete extension to Paris took five more years. Part of its route is that of the Gallo-Roman waterworks in Lutece, with an underground gallery of 1 m wide and eyes allowing maintenance.

In the 19th century, major changes took place: the Parisian part was declassified under the Second Empire, and the waters were redirected to the Pantheon reservoirs (1843), then to Lake Montsouris (1904). Arcueil-Cachan Water Bridge, 379 m long and 18.86 m high, is classified as a historic monument in 1991. Today, the aqueduct, owned by the City of Paris, is fed by the waters of the plain of Paray, the original sources of Rungis being taries.

The Medici Waterway includes 21 surface looks, some of which are classified (such as 1, 3 and 13), and 258 inspection hatches. Its initial flow rate of 1,280 m3/day was increased by additional captures in the 17th and 18th centuries. Water, formerly known for its clarity, is now unfit for consumption due to urbanization. The monument remains an exceptional testimony of pre-industrial hydraulic engineering.

Among the remarkable elements, the look no.1 at Rungis (known as "Louis XIII look"), the castle of the Observatory (now Maison du Fontainerier), and the aqueduct bridge of Arcueil-Cachan, designed by Thomas Francine and Louis Métezeau. The latter dominates the Bièvre valley and has been supporting the Vanne River since 1869. The ensemble, registered with historical monuments in 1988, illustrates the evolution of water supply techniques over four centuries.

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