Origin and history
The former Pontgouin aqueduct, located in the communes of Pontgouin, Maintenon and Berchères-Saint-Germain, is a vestige of the Eure Canal (or Louis XIV Canal), an ambitious hydraulic project launched in 1685 under Louis XIV. Designed by Vauban, this canal was to bring the waters of the Eure to the reservoirs of Versailles to feed the fountains and gardens of the royal estate. The construction site, titaniumsque, mobilized up to 30,000 men, including 22,000 soldiers, but was interrupted in 1688 by the war of the Augsburg League, leaving the work unfinished despite 9 million pounds spent and nearly 10,000 dead.
The project is born of a desperate need for water in Versailles, where the courtyard of Louis XIV and the hydraulics of the park consume ever larger volumes. After the partial failure of the Marly machine (1681-1682), unable to provide the necessary 6,400 m3/day, Louvois, Superintendent of Buildings, ordered Vauban an alternative solution. The latter offers a channel of 80 km, combining gullies, aqueducts and siphons, to capture the Eure at Pontgouin and direct it to the pond of the Tower (Rambouillet), already connected to Versailles. Work began in May 1685, with innovative techniques such as coal-fired coal kilns.
Among the outstanding remains are the dam and locks of Boizard (classified MH in 1910), the arch at Mulet at Saint-Arnoult-des-Bois, or the tunnel of the Arche de la Vallée at Berchères-Saint-Germain (161 m), inscribed MH in 1934. The uncompleted Maintenon waterworks were to cross the Eure Valley with 47 arcades over 5 km. The canal also crossed communes such as Chartanvilliers (tunnels La Petite Voûte and La Grande Voûte, registered MH) or Fontaine-la-Guyon, where a restored portion is visible in the castle park.
The site, marked by extreme conditions, saw 6,000 men perish in 1687 because of malaria, and many accidents were added. The final decision in 1688 left behind some impressive vestiges, witnesses to an aborted Pharaoh's enterprise. The techniques used (channels of approach for materials, military labour) prefigure the major works of the eighteenth century. Today, these remains, scattered between Eure-et-Loir and the Yvelines, are protected and studied for their historical and technical value.
The geopolitical context played a key role in the abandonment of the project: the war of the Augsburg League (1688-1697) exhausted royal finances. Louvois, initiator of the canal, died in 1691, and the king, faced with military priorities, never revived the works. However, Vauban's studies, detailed in his Debit of Works (1685), reveal rigorous planning, combining military and hydraulic engineering. The canal also had to be navigable, an innovation for the time, although this aspect remained secondary to the primary objective of water supply.
The construction techniques involved illustrate Vauban's expertise, acquired during his work on fortifications. Entrepreneurs, such as Martin Alexandre (locks) or Germain Leduc (crying), come from Flanders and Alsace, regions where Vauban had already worked. The massive use of soldiers – including the Languedoc regiment, assigned to the most difficult tasks – reflects the methods of the Royal State, where the army also serves as a labour force for large construction sites. The workshops of the Eure, recruited by force, bear witness to the social tensions generated by the project.
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