Canal de Bourgogne | |
---|---|
Specifications | |
Length | 242 km (150 mi)[1] |
Lock length | 40 m[2] |
Lock width | 5.2 m[2] |
Locks | 189[1] (originally 191) |
Status | Open |
History | |
Construction began | 1775 |
Date completed | 1832 |
Geography | |
Start point | Yonne junction in Migennes[1] |
End point | Saône junction in Saint-Jean-de-Losne[1] |
Connects to | Yonne, Saône |
The Canal de Bourgogne (French pronunciation: [kanal də buʁɡɔɲ]; English: Canal of Burgundy or Burgundy Canal) is a canal in the Burgundy historical region in east-central France. It connects the Yonne at Migennes with the Saône at Saint-Jean-de-Losne. Construction began in 1775 and was completed in 1832. The canal completes the link between the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea, via the rivers Seine and the Yonne to the Saône and Rhône.
The canal is 242 km (150 mi) long, with 189 locks. There were originally 191 lock basins, but the double staircase locks at Migennes (114-115Y) and Germigny (106-107Y) had the uppermost set of gates removed and the lower chamber raised to form single locks, but they are twice as deep as a standard lock (5.13 m and 5.14 m instead of the usual 2.5 to 3 m).
The canal passes through the departments of Yonne and Côte-d'Or. Its summit level is at Pouilly-en-Auxois, 378 m above sea level, when the canal passes through a tunnel 3.3 km long. The lowest point is at the junction with the Yonne at 79 m (259 ft) above sea level.