The opening of the Canal du Midi
On 24 May 1681 , the ‘ Canal Royal en Languedoc ’ ( Royal Languedoc Canal ), as it was initially called , was opened . The waterway allowed merchant ships to bypass the Iberian Peninsula , meaning that they now had to cover almost 2,500 fewer kilometres .
Pierre-Paul Riquet did not live to see the canal finished . He died a poor man in October 1680 . He had invested his entire fortune and more into the canal . His two sons worked on the canal until 1682 and it took them more than 40 years to pay off the debts incurred by their father .
From 1686 , engineer Sébastien de Vauban ( 1633 – 1707 ) was entrusted with the canal . In the following years , he improved the waterways , mainly to reduce the risk of flooding .
Later , branches of the canal were added , including the ‘ Canal latéral de la Garonne ’ and the ‘ Canal de la Robine Narbonne ’.
Trade blossomed and brought wealth to the communities along the Canal du Midi . Fuel , building materials , cereals and wine were transported by ships , and later there were also postal ships and passenger ships .
The travellers needed to be provided for , and soon guest houses , shops and hostels were built along the banks . Barges , usually towed by three horses , took four days to make the 240-kilometre trip between Toulouse and Sète . This was incredibly quick .