Page "Pierre-Paul Riquet" Paragraph 4

Riquet is the man responsible for building the 240-kilometre-long artificial waterway that links the southern coast of France to Toulouse to link to the canal / river system that ran across to the Bay of Biscay, one of the great engineering feats of the 17th century.

The logistics were immense and complex, 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 and trade around southern Spain where pirates were common.