Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Marly machine, built between 1681 and 1688 under Louis XIV, was a revolutionary hydraulic device designed to pump water from the Seine to power the gardens of Versailles and the Marly castle. Designed by Arnold de Ville and created by the Belgian engineer Rennequin Sualem, it was inspired by the mining techniques of Liège and Harz. With its 14 12 metre diameter blades and 257 pumps, it overcame a 150 metre elevation through a system of intermediate bearings. Inaugurated in 1684, it worked 133 years despite a performance often lower than expected.

The construction involved 1,800 workers and enormous quantities of materials: 100,000 tons of wood, 17,000 tons of iron, and 800 tons of lead and cast iron. The Sualem brothers, illiterate Walloon carpenters, played a key role in the design of the mechanisms, including the feldstange, a remote control system. The total cost rose to £5.5 million tournaments, making this machine one of the most expensive and complex of its time. Its legendary sound and expensive maintenance (60,000 pounds a year) marked the spirits, as shown by Diderot or the Countess of Houdetot.

The machine was replaced in 1817 by a temporary installation, then by a steam pump in 1827, before being permanently dismantled in 1968. Today, there are remains such as the reservoirs of Marly, the lake of Louveciennes, and the Charles X building. Its history reflects the technical and financial challenges of supplying water to royal residences, as well as the ingenuity of Walloon and French artisans.

The site extended between Bougival and Louveciennes, with sumps, easels, and a 640-metre aqueduct connecting the Levant and Jongleur tower. The water was then transported to Versailles by an underground network of 6 km. Despite its flaws, Marly's machine remained a symbol of the hydraulic mastery of the Great Century, attracting even the admiration of Tsar Pierre the Great in 1717.

Its decline in the 18th century, due to the wear and tear of the materials (90% wood) and the increasing pollution of the Seine, led to its gradual abandonment. Attempts to modernize, such as Dufrayer's (1859) machine or electro-pumps (1968), illustrate the evolution of hydraulic technologies on this iconic site, now partially classified as Historic Monument.

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