Drilling decision 1837 (≈ 1837)
Project entrusted to engineer Vauthier.
1838-1843
Construction of canal
Construction of canal 1838-1843 (≈ 1841)
Building led by Bordeaux entrepreneurs.
1844
Opening of the channel
Opening of the channel 1844 (≈ 1844)
First gabars and batelière activity.
1926
End of airworthiness
End of airworthiness 1926 (≈ 1926)
Dordogne striped from the waterways.
1992
Intermunicipal concession
Intermunicipal concession 1992 (≈ 1992)
Management transferred to a local union.
1996
Registration MH
Registration MH 1996 (≈ 1996)
Protection of the refit pond.
2014
Partial renovation
Partial renovation 2014 (≈ 2014)
4 km made navigable.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Bridge-channel in full and subsequent collection walls (see AE 88): inscription by order of 11 September 1996
Key figures
Pierre Vauthier - Chief Engineer
Designer of the canal and works.
Louis-Philippe Ier - King of France
Critiqued the project costs.
Saint Front - Legendary figure
Associated with the myth of the coulobre.
Origin and history
The canal of Lalinde, 15 km long, was dug between 1838 and 1843 under the direction of engineer Pierre Vauthier to bypass the dangerous rapids of the Dordogne between Mauzac and Tuilières. Inaugurated in 1844, he facilitated the transport of the gabares despite the high costs criticized by Louis-Philippe I. The Saint-Capraise-de-Lalinde redoub basin, which was listed at the Historic Monuments in 1996, was used for the maintenance of boats.
The canal included nine locks, including a spectacular group in Tuileries, as well as lockhouses and bridges. Powered by the Mauzac dam, it remained in service until World War II, despite railway competition in 1879. In 1926, its decline began with the abolition of the airworthiness of the Dordogne upstream, before its concession in 1992 to an intermunicipal union.
Today, a 4 km stretch between Port-de-Couze and Saint-Capraise-de-Lalinde is again navigable since 2014, after restoration work. The refit basin, with its grill, bears witness to the 19th century river engineering and past batel industry. The canal, marked by local legends such as the Lalinde coulobre, combines industrial and tourist heritage.
It crosses six villages, including Saint-Capraise-de-Lalinde, where the redoub basin and its grill are protected. Recent works (2016) on the canal bridge and locks aim to preserve this heritage, while developing a tourist vocation, such as the river promenade scheduled for 2015.
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