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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Buges Lock Site, located at Châlette-sur-Loing in the Loiret, is a key section of the Orléans Canal, marking its outlet in the Loing Canal. It is 1,330 metres long and is framed by the locks of La Folie (upstream) and Buges (downstream). Its origin dates back to 1676-1678, when Robert Mahieu built a first section to transport wood and coal between Vieilles-Maisons-sur-Joudry and Buges. The canal was extended until the Loire between 1681 and 1687, then inaugurated in 1692, becoming a major river axis between Nantes and Paris (1,500 to 2,000 ships per year). Nationalized in 1793, it was managed by a private company (1807-1860) before being entrusted to Ponts et Chaussées in 1863.

The current site consists of a lock, a reconstructed lock house around 1820 (housing houses and offices), a metal lift bridge laid in 1884-1885, and a spillway on the Solin. A point of convergence of the Briare, Orleans and Loing canals since 1724, it was declassified from the waterways in 1954. Nearby, remains remain of a stationery founded in 1738 (manufacture of the Anglée), including a dawn wheel and a chimney. The site, registered with the Historical Monuments in 1999, is now managed by the Loiret department, while the Loing Canal is part of the French Waterways.

The lock buildings, organized around two separate stairs and corridors, once included a common oven (destroyed between 1990 and 1995) and vegetable gardens for employees. The metal bridge, similar to that of Nemours, spans the Orléans Canal, while a second bridge and the weir complete the whole. The hamlet of Buges, accessible by departmental road 240, also retains industrial traces, such as the low walls of a factory destroyed around 2015, where picnic tables were installed. This heritage reflects the golden age of river transport and the local paper industry.

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