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"A green ribbon of water, winding along vineyards and medieval villages, the Canal du Midi is one of France's most peaceful and picturesque waterways."

"Of all the methods of traveling I have ever tried, this is the pleasantest. You should not think of returning to America without taking the trip I have taken."

Thomas Jefferson
Canal du Midi - May 1787

Barging has history and it is long and complex. People first started building canals and navigating with barges over 7,000 years ago and they have not stopped since. Here are some of the highlights:

• 5000 BC - Egyptians build the world's first canals to bypass rapids on the Nile, and continue networking their lands with canals for centuries.
• 1st century AD - Romans actively build canals in Europe to secure their empire. Many canals in Holland and France date back to this period.
• 984 - Chinese Engineer Chiao Weo-Yo invents the first pound-lock, a model for all canal locks for centuries to come. China developed a sophisticated canal system as early as the sixth century AD to connect its many west-to-east flowing rivers.
• 1500s - more trade and high road taxes revive waterways as a preferred route of transportation in Europe, sparking a Renaissance in canal building and attracting great minds from all over Europe, including Leonardo da Vinci.

• 16th century - France takes a keen interest in canal building, partly to better supply the courts of Paris with delicacies from rural areas. This period also sees the building of the Canal de Briare in Upper Loire.
• 1681 - The age-old dream of connecting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean comes true with the Canal du Midi. The canal was an absolute feat of engineering, traversing untraversable land, and confounding generations of engineers from all over Europe (including da Vinci). The canal rises 614 feet in its 114 mile course and relies on 75 locks to link the waterways coursing through Provence with the Atlantic ocean.

• 1700s - The British join in the European rush to network the land with waterways. Ireland, England & Scotland see a dramatic increase in their canal systems. Nearly four thousand miles of waterways are built in less than 100 years.
• 1789 - The French Revolution puts a near stop to canal building in France. While the Northern Burgundy Canal du Bourgogne is barely completed, the Southern Burgundy network will have to wait for Napoleon to see its completion.
• 19th century - The final touches are put on a European canal system in order to meet the transportation needs of a rapidly industrializing economy. During this time, the Canal de la Marne au Rhin and other canals in Eastern France are completed.
• 1859 - The Suez canal is built but Europe starts to witness the decline of its canals, due to the advent of railroads. Travel and transportation by water begin a rapid 100-year-long hiatus.
• 1960s - Vacationers rediscover Europe's canals. A new generation of canal barges starts to float along the old waterways.

• 1996 - 30th anniversary of hotel-barging, celebrating the industry's pioneers and newcomers. Luxury barging comes of age.
• 2001 to Present - Barging on European canals is at its zenith with a delightful assortment of barge cruises now being offered. Ultra-Deluxe barging is the newest trend.

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comments@americans-in-france.com, or click here.

This page last revised April 23, 2003. It will be regularly updated throughout the 2003 season -- as often as once a week, whenever we have new contributions.

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The contents of this web page reflect the opinions of individual passengers and travellers to France, and of people who live in France. Comments are posted to share their experiences.