The Canal de la Marne au Rhin (, Marne–Rhine Canal) is a canal in north-eastern France. It connects the river Marne and the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne in Vitry-le-François with the port of Strasbourg on the Rhine. The original objective of the canal was to connect Paris and the north of France with Alsace and Lorraine, the Rhine, and Germany. The long canal was the longest in France when it opened in 1853.
Description The canal is suited for small barges (péniches), with a maximum size of in length and in width. It has 154 locks, including two in the Moselle. There are four tunnels. The Saint-Louis-Arzviller inclined plane is located between Arzviller and Saint-Louis and its construction replaced 17 locks.
In 1979, a section along the Moselle valley was closed following the completion of the Moselle canalisation works between Frouard and Neuves-Maisons. The route is now made up as follows: Canal de la Marne au Rhin, western section (PK 0-131), connecting with the Canal de la Meuse at Troussey (PK 111), and with a branch to Houdelaincourt (PK 85), the navigable river Moselle from Toul to Pompey and the Frouard branch from Pompey to Frouard (a distance of 25 km, slightly longer than by the original canal), the eastern section, from Frouard to Strasbourg (PK 154-313); this section connects with the Nancy branch at Laneuveville-devant-Nancy (PK 169), the Canal de la Sarre at Gondrexange (PK 228), and the river Ill in Strasbourg (PK 311). The western section, has 97 locks, 70 rising to the summit level and 27 down to the Moselle at Toul. The Moselle section has three locks of high-capacity Rhine dimensions on the river and one on the Frouard branch, and an additional Freycinet size lock connecting to the original canal in Frouard. The eastern section, , has 56 locks, 21 rising to the summit level crossing the Vosges watershed and 35 down to Strasbourg.
Its course crosses the following départements and towns: Marne: Vitry-le-François Meuse: Bar-le-Duc, Ligny-en-Barrois, Void-Vacon Meurthe-et-Moselle: Toul, Nancy Moselle: Gondrexange, Sarrebourg Bas-Rhin: Saverne, Strasbourg
En Route
PK 0 Vitry-le-François PK 47 Bar-le-Duc PK 62 Ligny-en-Barrois PK 86.5 Mauvages tunnel PK 111 junction with Canal de la Meuse PK 130 Toul PK 131.5 junction with Moselle PK 154.5entrance to canal from Frouard branch of Moselle PK 164 Nancy PK 178 Dombasle PK 222 Réchicourt PK 255 Saint-Louis-Arzviller inclined plane PK 259 Lutzelbourg PK 269 Saverne PK 286 Hochfelden PK 307 Souffelweyersheim PK 313Strasbourg
See also List of canals in France
References
External links Canal de la Marne au Rhin with maps and detailed information on places, ports and moorings on the canal, by the author of Inland Waterways of France, Imray Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals (French waterways website section)