01/2023
The Fondation Etrillard is partnering with Voies Navigables de France (VNF) for the restoration of the Canal de Midi, a jewel of French heritage.
The Fondation Etrillard will be supporting the restoration of the Canal de Midi. Built during the Reign of King Louis XIV by Pierre-Paul Riquet to connect the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, the Canal du Midi has been on the UNESCO World Heritage of Humanity list since 1996. With its 360 km of navigable waterways, 328 structures (locks, aqueducts, bridges, tunnels, etc.) and its striking plane trees lining its banks, the Canal du Midi represents a unique feat of civil engineering as well as an outstanding landscape and essential environmental asset for an entire region.
Faced with the need to replace part of its landscape heritage, the Canal du Midi is currently going through a major period of change in a bid to safeguard the environmental quality of the site and maintain its status as a key cultural and tourist attraction for France. The Fondation Etrillard’s support will make a crucial contribution to passing this outstanding heritage on to future generations: