| Canal de la Marne au Rhin | |
| Canal Length: | 313km (194miles) |
| Original Num Locks: | 178 |
| Current Num Locks: | 154 |
| Date Began: | 1838 |
| Date Completed: | 1853 |
| Start Point: | Canal latéral à la Marne in Vitry-le-François |
| End Point: | Rhine in Strasbourg |
| Begin Coord: | 48.7301°N 4.6067°W |
| End Coord: | 48.5907°N 7.7878°W |
| Connects To: | Canal latéral à la Marne, Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne, Canal de la Meuse, Moselle, Canal de la Sarre, Rhine |
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.[1] The 313km (194miles) long canal was the longest in France when it opened in 1853.[2]
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:
The western section, 131.4km (81.6miles) 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, 159km (99miles), 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:
Bar-le-Duc, Ligny-en-Barrois, Void-Vacon
| PK 0 | 48.7301°N 4.6067°W | |
|---|---|---|
| PK 47 | 48.7742°N 5.1688°W | |
| PK 62 | 48.6878°N 5.3179°W | |
| PK 86.5 | Mauvages tunnel | 48.5844°N 5.5189°W |
| PK 111 | 48.7145°N 5.6901°W | |
| PK 130 | 48.6778°N 5.8838°W | |
| PK 131.5 | 48.6832°N 5.9059°W | |
| PK 154.5 | entrance to canal from Frouard branch of Moselle | |
| PK 164 | 48.6938°N 6.1928°W | |
| PK 178 | 48.6281°N 6.3449°W | |
| PK 222 | 48.6922°N 6.8451°W | |
| PK 255 | 48.7159°N 7.2183°W | |
| PK 259 | 48.7359°N 7.2564°W | |
| PK 269 | 48.7427°N 7.3663°W | |
| PK 286 | 48.7488°N 7.5694°W | |
| PK 307 | 48.6342°N 7.7529°W | |
| PK 313 | Strasbourg | 48.5907°N 7.7878°W |