2024

LES SEPT ÉCLUSES

Works of art to see

This gigantic staircase of water, made up of seven locks, was built on the will of Henri IV and his minister Sully during the construction of the Briare canal. Their objective? To unite the Loire with the Seine by means of canals, and even the Mediterranean with the Atlantic and the English Channel to better supply Paris. For more than two centuries, up to 4,000 boats passed through the canal each year, before it was abandoned in 1880. What remains is this architectural masterpiece, which is also the marvelous backdrop for the pyrotechnics show that takes place here every year at the end of July.

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