Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Eure Canal, also known as the Louis XIV Canal, was initiated in 1685 to bring water from the Eure to the fountains of Versailles. Designed by Vauban, this colossal project aimed to solve the castle's water shortages, despite the limitations of Marly's machine. The site mobilized up to 30,000 men, including 22,000 soldiers, but was interrupted in 1688 by the war of the Augsburg League and never resumed.

The dam and locks of Boizard, located at Pontgouin, marked the point of capture of the waters of the Eure. A dam created a six-kilometre artificial lake, feeding the canal to Rambouillet. Despite £9 million spent and 10,000 dead (Malud fever, accidents), the project remained unfinished. The remains, like the locks classified as Historic Monument in 1910, bear witness to this disproportionate ambition.

Vauban, assisted by military engineers such as Isaac Robelin or Mesgriny, used innovative techniques: approach channels for materials, coal lime kilns, and cast iron siphons to cross the valleys. The Marquis of Uxelles supervised the military camp of soldiers-workers. Maintenon Waterway, another flagship, peaks at 28.50 m with 47 arcades, but was never finished.

Today, remains remain along the planned route, including arches (Saint-Arnoult-des-Bois), a 161 m tunnel at Berchères-Saint-Germain, and portions of water such as at Bailleau-l'Évêque. These works, classified or registered, recall the technical audacity and human dramas of this royal yard, symbol of excesses of absolutism.

The hydraulic context of Versailles explained this project: the expanding courtyard of Louis XIV required ever more spectacular fountains. Marly's machine, insufficient, provided only 3,200 m3/day instead of the 6,400 required. The Eure Canal had to compensate for this deficit, but the war and royal finances decided otherwise.

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