- Pierre-Paul Riquet
Pierre-Paul Riquet (
June 29 ,1609 (some sources say 1604) -October 4 ,1680 ) was theengineer andcanal -builder responsible for the construction of theCanal du Midi .Background
Paul Riquet was born in
Béziers ,Hérault ,France . As a youth, Riquet was only interested in mathematics and science. He married Catherine de Milhau at age 19. As a "ferme générale " ("farmer-general") ofLanguedoc-Roussillon , he was a tax farmer responsible for the collection and administration of thegabelle (salt tax) inLanguedoc . Riquet became wealthy and was given permission by the King to levy his own taxes. This gave him greater wealth, which allowed him to execute grand projects with technical expertise.The Canal du Midi
Riquet is the man responsible for building the 240-mile-long artificial
waterway that links the southern coast of France to theBay of Biscay , one of the great engineering feats of the 17th century. The logistics were immense and complicated, so much so that other engineers including the ancient Romans had discussed the idea but not proceeded with it. Even so, Louis XIV was keen for the project to proceed, largely because of the increasing cost and danger of transporting cargo andtrade around southernSpain wherepirates were common.Planning, financing, and construction of the
Canal du Midi completely absorbed Riquet from 1665 forward. Numerous problems occurred, including navigating around many hills and providing a system that would feed the canal with water through the dry summer months. Advances in lock engineering and the creation of a 6 million cubic metreartificial lake —the "Bassin de Saint-Ferreol" — provided solutions.The canal was completed in 1681, one year after Riquet's death.
External links
* [http://www.beziers-tourisme.fr Béziers - birthplace of Riquet] (In English)
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