Canal+de+I'Ourcq

=Canal de I'Ourcq=

The Canal de I’Ourcq is a relatively short waterway, but throughout its rich history it has provided many important goods, services, and areas for leisure activities for the people of Paris. The canal is made up of three distinct sections and ten boat locks that combined are about 110 kilometers (65 miles) in length. It runs from the Ourcq river, which flows into the Marne, a larger river that runs throughout eastern France. The Ourcq river held the purpose of supplying Paris and its surrounding area with timber, starting in the sixteenth century.

The idea to build the canal started with Napoleon in the early 19th century. He wanted to build a canal that would lead directly to Paris. He thought that building the Canal de I’Ourcq would help solve some of the water supply issues that Paris was having at the time. The construction for the canal began on September 23rd, 1802. It wasn’t completed for another 19 years, in 1821. Once completed, the canal was very successful in supplying drinking water to the capital. Its direct route to Paris also made it a popular way to import goods such as building materials, wood, and coal to city.

Today, with the inventions of airway and train transportation, the canal is not used as much for providing goods to Paris. Yet in the 1980’s the Canal de I’Ourcq was opened for use of leisure activities to the public. It is now a popular place to hold festivals, take walks and bike rides, and sail during the summer months.