Paris could be known as the most romantic city in the world, with the Eiffel tower, cozy cafes, and perfect petite pastries for breakfast; it does seem like an excellent place for a romantic getaway, but the place does have some deep dark secrets of its own, long buried by the waters of time. The curious residents and tourists of Paris are gathered on the banks of the Saint-Martin canal, eagerly awaiting for the big reveal of what lies on the bottom of the dreary waters. It’s a rather cold and cloudy day in the capital city of France, but that doesn’t stop the eager on-lookers from standing around and waiting for the action to begin and end. Are they keen to see what the drained canal reveals to the city? They sure are in for some surprises, and some of Paris’ well-kept secrets are soon to be revealed.
ParisDarkest Secrets Revealed When A Canal Is Built On The Orders Of Napoleon
The River Seine
The edge of the water here is where you will most likely find the ‘bourgeois bohemians; of Paris, which are basically the young, trendy, financially well-to-do, young liberals. The area has a lot of old-world charm and is a picturesque scene, with the centuries-old Chestnut trees surrounding the canal on either side, making it a beautiful place to hang out. The Saint-Martin’s Canal is joined to the Seine River and is considered to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site from the year 1991. The canal has been linked to the river for over 150 years and can be found just behind the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. There are many bars and hangouts in the area, adding to its charm and making it an excellent chill-out zone.
The River Seine
The Construction Of The Canal Saint-Martin
The Saint-Martin’s Canal construction started in 1802 and was finally completed in 1825, on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte I. Still, unfortunately, he didn’t live to see the project in all its glory because it was only complete four years after his death. The project was taken over and completed by a private company because the First French Empire had fallen by 1815.The name of the company is ‘Compagnie des canaux de Paris’. The Canal was opened graciously with lots of fanfare by King Charles X of France.
The Construction Of The Canal Saint Martin
Prioritizing Health
The canal was initially built as a means to transport clean water and numerous other goods through the city of Paris. The city was plagued by illnesses such as cholera and dysentery, which was obviously a great threat to the ever-growing population of Paris. Napoleon’s idea of the canal was that it would be built with other canals connecting to and then branching out into different areas of the city, making it a great route to supply food supplies and clean water to the community. The growing traffic on the trade routes was one of the reasons for the construction of the canal. Water is life, and without clean water, the community was sick and dying. The canal goes around the city for around three miles, almost like a mote bordering the city. The canal is also known for delivering building materials to residents all over the city in the past.
Prioritizing Health
Intriguing History
The water seemed like the fastest way to move goods around the city, so two more canals were built in the years that followed. The Canal Saint-Denis and the Canal de l’Ourcq were both built and funded by the authorities. The Canal de l’Ourcq was around 3.4 meters wide and ran for 108 kilometers. The latter of the two canals ran from Port-Aux-Perches to the Bassin de la Villette, and that’s where it eventually joined the canal Saint-Martin. These waterways are all over a few hundred years old and are in desperate need of a clean and some upgrades.
Intriguing History
At The Time Of The French Revolution
The most famous canal of the three is the Canal Saint-Martin.It ran underground from Bassin de l’Arsenal to the Place de la Bastille. The latter destination was famous for its pivotal events during the French Revolution, which took place from 1789 to 1799. The canal has a long, illustrious history and was also the scene of a surprise attack on the prison. People were curious to see what lay beneath the surface of the famous canal because of its colorful history, and I can say that they were not disappointed.
At The Time Of The French Revolution
The Canals Currently
Why did the authorities want to drain the water from the canal in the first place? It does make a beautiful place to sit back and relax, and it’s a popular spot for locals and tourists. You will often see young Parisians congregating on the banks of the canal in the surrounding cafes and restaurants. Tourists love to take pictures of the beautiful landmarks and bridges all over the city. Let’s read on to find out why they drained the canal.
The Canals Currently
Odd Things Below
The canal seems to be quite well maintained for something that is so old. Every ten to fifteen years, the authorities try to empty out the canal and do their best to get rid of all the debris and waste that accumulates on the bottom. There have been numerous changes and developments to the canal over the two hundred years of its existence. This time, however, it doesn’t seem like just a routine clean-up and maintenance, so what’s the main reason behind the big drainage, and furthermore, what’s the difference?
Odd Things Below
Draining
It surely must be interesting to live in one of the most well-renowned cities in the world, what’s more, interesting and piqued the interests of Parisians, is what lies on the canal floor. Paris is also known as the city of light and does hide many centuries-old secrets; some buried much deeper than the others. The murky waters of the canal make looking into the water difficult as it’s mostly greywater and appears black in some places; maybe that’s what brought on the urge to clean. The public wasn’t allowed to be too close to the action and had to watch from afar. The question remains, what lies beneath the surface?
Draining
World War 1 Waste
The first time the canal was drained, they managed to remove over forty tons of dirt and waste from the canal. This was in 2001, long after the first world war. The finds were fascinating. Amongst the newer trash like bottles and cans, they also found a few old treasures. Bullets, bombshells, and pennies from the first world war were found in the water; astoundingly, they also discovered a car in the water from the same period. One must definitely wonder what that was doing down there. It also makes us wonder what else the dark water has in store for us.
World War 1 Waste
The Total Cost
The entire project obviously needed many resources, from people to equipment and more. The mammoth task of draining the canal commenced, and it took a whopping three months to drain most of the estimated three million cubic feet of water from the canal. The city had invested and spent over ten million dollars on this huge project, which we certainly hope benefited the city and its residents. Even after draining out the water, the canal wasn’t completely dry.
The Total Cost
Onlookers
The balance of the water was finally drained away on January 7th, and after fifteen long years, the canal’s secrets were about to be revealed. People from all walks of life gathered on the bridges to see just what the water would reveal. Were they hoping to uncover skeletons, treasure, or something else? Maybe a mythical Parisian monster that lurks the murky waters of the canal. If that was the case, it wouldn’t have anywhere to hide anymore.
Onlookers
An Unreal Experience
The big reveal was almost here, and the onlookers couldn’t believe their eyes. It’s not a common event to see the Saint-Martin’s canal without any water. The locals made it an occasion, bringing their own fanfare to the banks and bridges of the canal. They couldn’t believe their eyes, the sights on the canal floor were surreal, and they were all definitely dying from curiosity to see the rest. Curiosity did kill the cat, or so they say.
An Unreal Experience
Things Living In The Waters
The canal was not drained completely dry, and there was only around 50 cm of water left on the surface of the canal when workers waded through and found around five tons of carp, trout, and bream. It was compulsory to look for “living things” in the water, and thankfully they did. The fish were all captured by the crew, carefully weighed and identified, and then they were relocated to better and healthier breeding grounds. Even though their new home isn’t what they are used to, surely the fish must be happier in cleaner water. Thankfully there were no mutant fish or creatures to report. Some of the fish were so big they must have been decades old.
Things Living In The Waters
Littered With Garbage
There were many common everyday objects found in the water, but what’s seemed to be the most bizarre was the copious number of bicycles that were found on the floor of the canal. It turned out that the bicycles were from the city’s Velib car-sharing program. In 2007 there were around 14,500 bikes added to the city’s transport system, but it clearly wasn’t well-adapted if there were so many of the cycles at the bottom of the lake. Unfortunately, cycling wasn’t a favorite mode of transport for the residents, so the bikes ended up in the water. It must have seemed like the perfect place to ditch the bikes.
Littered With Garbage
Unusual Discoveries
As more and more water was drained from the canal, more items were found. On the canal floor, they found mopeds, bicycles, and even wheelie bins! I can’t imagine the reasons as to how or why these items ended up in the canal. Is it just a convenient place to dump unwanted things? Amongst all the things found, they also found a toilet, yes that’s right. They found a porcelain throne in the canal. It was removed immediately as it was thought to have added to the murky condition of the water. However unexpected and quite an amusing, unusual find, the toilet was not the biggest unexpected find down there. There are some larger objects to come; keep reading to be amazed.
Unusual Discoveries
The Source Of The Garbage
As we’ve mentioned before, it seems like the historical canal was no more than a dumping ground for some of the locals, it is more than a decade worth of debris, but it’s still sad that people don’t think anything of polluting the water around them. A witness, Marc, shared his statement with The Guardian “ It’s like some weird submarine treasure,” he then added and said, “ I can’t believe the number of garbage in there; I guess they were stolen and then thrown in afterward. It’s bizarre”. The bicycles must have been dumped after being stolen for fear of being caught, but that wasn’t the strangest object to be found on the canal floor.
The Source Of The Garbage
Filthy Paris
An old onlooker, Bernard shared his opinion, “ That’s Paris for you. It’s filthy”.The onlooker remembers being around for a previous clean-up, but he can’t remember the canal being so filthy. In his opinion, the youth are using the canal as a dustbin, we did come to that conclusion ourselves, but can we just blame the youth? That certainly doesn’t seem fair, seeing that there were things from centuries past also found in the canals. His memory could also be altered with age, but it isn’t fair to blame a certain group of people for something that could have been done by so many others.
Filthy Paris
Even More Bizarre
Things are getting weirder and weirder down there. Other than the copious amounts of bicycles found, cleaners also found motorcycles in the canals, two of them to be exact. The story of how those came to be at the bottom of the canal seems like a big mystery, and we shall continue to imagine until someone comes forward and takes ownership for abandoning the two motorbikes. It must be one hell of a story, but let’s wait and see. It could be a case of theft and abandonment or something more interesting; we may never know.
Even More Bizarre
Garbage Unvested Waters
Amongst all the living creatures found down there, there was also a big fat mess of pollutants like bottles, cans, and plastic, and the sad part is that most of these could have been recycled. There were other items like shopping bags, traffic cones, and other weird objects. The state of the world’s waters are getting worse and worse as the years go by, and soon we may not have any clean water sources, more especially clean drinking water, I think its time to step up and start taking care of the water around us, or we shall all die of thirst. The rubbish didn’t fascinate the onlookers, and they were still more interested in the things yet to be found.
Garbage Unvested Waters
Even An Office Chair
Let’s think about this one. How does an office chair end up in a canal? Could it have rolled in by mistake? I highly doubt that. I think this is yet another example of dumping. The witnesses couldn’t believe this one and thought that maybe the chair was placed in the canal as a joke, but it was definitely found there. Is it possible that an office worker took this chair to the 10th arrondissement? It seems like a joke, but it’s true.
Even An Office Chair
A Suitcase
It has been intriguing to see the objects that were discovered in the canal, but this one does take a big piece of the pie. A suitcase was found in the murky water. An interesting item emerged from the waters as workers continued to drain the water. The suitcase was in a rather revolting condition and seemed to be rather old. Was it thrown down there? Or was it dropped in by mistake, or did it fall in ? who’s to know until someone comes forward with a story of the water-bound suitcase came to be.
A Suitcase
Some Traffic Cones
This is another odd item that was found on the canal floor, a traffic cone, which I believe must have been stolen from the traffic police and then hastily disposed of once the suspect realized that stealing from the police is a serious crime. I can’t think of another explanation, but we can come up with another scenario as to how it came to be there. Maybe it was a drunken dare amongst young Parisians or even tourists, but alas, once again, we may never know the truth of the matter. The cone had to be retrieved, so one of the base crew members had to go down and get it.
Some Traffic Cones
The Previous Shopping Attraction
Once upon a time, there was a great shopping destination, The Canal Saint-Martin. Just kidding, but they did find a full-sized shopping cart on the canal floor, full of debris, not groceries. How did the trolley get into the canal? Did a shopper load up their car and then decide to push the trolley in before heading home casually? There’s no doubt that Paris is one of the fashion capitals of the world and a great shopping destination, but I highly doubt that there’s a good reason for a trolley to be down in the deep.
The Previous Shopping Attraction
Saving The Fish
Three days of the project were spent purely on catching fish. The residents of the canal had to be caught and relocated safely before anything else could be done in the canal. It does make me wonder, though, how the fish lived in such polluted conditions. Workers continued to drain the canal until only twenty inches of water remained. The crew had to catch and rehome around five tons of carp, bream, and trout, which I’m sure we’re only kept for preservation purposes and definitely not for consumption. The fish was safely relocated to another part of the river.
Saving The Fish
Cleaner Waters
The canal isn’t a swimming spot, and I don’t think anyone has attempted to swim in there, given the disgusting color and condition of the water. Seeing all the trash in the canal was very concerning for residents, making them really think about the consequences of water pollution. The discoveries did bring the city’s littering problem to light, and hopefully, there will be rules and regulations in place for the future. The deputy mayor Celia Blauel said that in a few years, the canal might be suitable for swimming if they all muck in together and avoid littering the canal.
Cleaner Waters
A Costly Devotion
The area around the canal is regarded as prime real estate, but once the rubbish started coming out of the water surely the prices dropped! But that wasn’t the case.No one would have realized how bad the situation was until the process started and the waterway wasn’t emptied and cleaned. People living in the area paid high amounts for the properties and rentals. The real estate around the arrondissement has asking prices in the range of $9000. The la di dah residents had no idea of the filth until the process began. Lucky for them, the canal is almost back to prime condition.
A Costly Devotion
The Reasons Behind The Large Expense
Like most areas around bodies of water, lakes, dams, beaches, and rivers, real estate near water comes with a hefty price. The waterway has always looked lush and aesthetically pleasing and is an artistic hotspot. It has been inspirational for the gallery art as well as the humble street artist, you can find street art all over the area on the bank’s walls, and the canucks bank has a big area that’s dedicated to multimedia works of art.
The Reasons Behind The Large Expense
Two Decades Of Work
It took twenty years to dig all three canals through the length of Paris. The canals make up a total of over eighty miles when combined, The canal Saint -Martin is the most famous one, and it runs for sixty-eight miles and eventually connects to the Seine River and the Canal de l’Ourcq. There must have been a huge number of workers that were needed for the planning, execution, and completion of the entire canal system; we can only hope that future generations care enough to take care of the historical landmark.
Two Decades Of Work
Tourists And Locals
The Canal Saint-martin has always been an intriguing place and has attracted locals and tourists from all over the world. It has always had a unique allure to tourists, some visiting just to have a peek at the waterway. They are given a look at the badges, and they can also navigate their way through all the locks and road bridges along the way. People have especially visited the city to make a marriage proposal on the bridges of the canal.
Tourists And Locals
Vibrant Nightlife
The area that surrounds the canal saint -martin has a vibrant nightlife scene and has many nightclubs, cafes, and bars. The once quiet district now attracts hordes of tourists and youngsters looking to paint the town red. Older locals speculate that this will only add to the pollution of the canals; they discovered this in 2016. The area is also host to many art and craft markets and galleries as well as street entertainers and performers.
Vibrant Nightlife
Canal Construction
The canal was constructed by Napoleon the I’s instruction in 1802 due to the ever-growing population of Paris. At the time, a census confirmed that Paris had a population of around 55,000. The growing population was concerning for the authorities as they were riddled with ongoing disease, and they did not see the number starting to decrease anytime soon. It was Napoleon’s belief that the canal would be able to bring fresh water to the city and thus improve the health of residents as well as the condition and quality of life at the time, but he could have never guessed the condition that the canal ended up in centuries later.
Canal Construction
The Canals Route
The canal runs a long way through the city.It runs from The Seines Bassin de l’Arsenal to La Bastille.La Bastille is the location of a prison that was unfortunately destroyed in the french revolution. It runs through there and then emerges near the Place de la Republique before going up to the Bassin de la Villette in the north of the city. That is where it finally meets the Canal de l’ourcq and ends its journey.
The Canals Route
Bizarre Things
After reading through the whole article, which was the item that got your brain wiggling the most, or which was the one that interested you the most? Was it the office chairs, shopping trolleys, suitcases, wheelie bins, toilets, bicycles, motorcycles, or the car at the bottom of the canal? To make matters more interesting, there was also a vintage stereo found at the bottom of the canal, in addition to all the other interesting items? So you may never know what you may find when you get there.
Bizarre Things
Too Much Trash
The number of cans and bottles found on the floor of the canal was never counted, it does seem like an impossible task, but there was enough there to fill a small landfill. Recycling should be seriously considered, and people need to respect the water bodies around them more. If you could guess a number, what would it be? We bet that you won’t even come close to the answer, but we may also never know unless someone took the time to count each item, and that is very unlikely.
Too Much Trash
A Lengthy Canal
The famous Saint-Martin Canal runs through the 10th arrondissement, and it’s a whopping three miles long. The 10th arrondissement is well-known for being a very fashionable neighborhood. This area should be on your hit list for your next round of traveling when you’re visiting France. It has recently become a popular spot for a memorable night out and for the numerous tourist attractions in the area. The area is popular among tourists and residents alike, so please make a pit -stop here on your next visit to the city of lights!
A Lengthy Canal