Nederlandse versieCanal de la Marne au Rhin

In 1990 we visited Lutzelbourg, a small town in the Elzas in the Vosges. We were nicely located at a camping-site encircled by the river La Zorn and the canal: 'Le canal de la Marne au Rhin' and those two waterways are encircled by a motorway and a railway. There are a lot of trains, also during the night. Especially the first night we did not sleep very well because of that.

More or less by accident we came in Lutzelbourg. We were looking for a camping-site nearby the canal. With the map within reach, we followed the canal as best as possible. Rarely the motorway was situated beside the canal. Again and again we crossed the canal and drove on motorways at a distance of hundred meters or more parallel to the canal. Nobody was so smart to begin a camping-site anywhere. When we almost gave up our efforts, Marga found a camping-site in the camping-guide. The camping was called 'Le plan incliné' which means 'inclined slope'. This camping-site not only appeared to be beside the canal but was some hundreds meters from the 'plan incliné'. This is a kind of boat-lift where boats can be transported in a giant cistern up along a sloping level of 41 degrees. The difference in height is 44,5 meters. This corresponds with the difference in height of 17 locks. On the first day we admired the inclined slope. Alas there appeared to be just a few barges, some at most. Nevertheless there are many round trips especially for the inclined slope. We have established that many school-trips in the north of France follows the inclined slope.

Two days later we made a long walk through the hills above the canal. Later on we arrived at the old part of the canal. For the inclined slope has been finished in 1969, the entire canal is built during Napoleon's time. The old part of the canal is still intact with the exception of the most important part: the water. Between the quays runs a miserable little stream. Nature is trying to win a piece of culture back. Between the quay-walls brackens are growing. In the bed brushwood's and bushes of reed are growing. Here and there a tree pops up. The old locks are still present. The locks are all equal, 5,20 m wide , 41,00 m long. A barge of 38x5 m² just fits in a lock. At every lock a difference in height of about 2,60 meter is bridged. 

The bottom lies three or four meters below the towpath I am walking on. In earlier days horses pulled the barges here. Beside the canal nature is everywhere. On the towpaths the grass is cut once or twice a year and the paths are muddy and full with pools. 

Here and there are narrow-gauge. In later days the barges were pulled by a little train. I expect that this was not during the entire track but I am not sure. We see such a small train later in the week at Saverne.

From the valley of the Rhine the canal climbs rapidly up into the Elzas. I see a lock with heavy metal gates at every two hundred meters . The first houses I walk by are empty. De window-panels have disappeared or are half-open. The window-glass is broken. I see a door opened but I don't enter. I expect nothing but dirt and debris and walk on. 

As I have passed half of the old locks, the lockkeepers houses are occupied again. The further I go, the houses look more and more beautiful. Some of them are painted in pastel-colors and many of them are surrounded by beautiful flower-gardens.  A single lockkeepers house is situated against a mass of red rocks which rises far beyond the roof. Suddenly I arrive at a lock full of water. There is even a little lake. In earlier days the barges could moor here. There is room for at least twenty of them. I walk on and finally arrive at the place where the old canal meets the new one. Somewhere further the canal disappears in a tunnel. I also see the narrow-gauge again. It 's disappearing in the tunnel next to the water. I don't enter the tunnel. It is illuminated and has lost its charm because of that. I imagine how in earlier days the barges went through the more than two kilometers long tunnel in the spare light of oil-lamps.

 

I walked for an hour an a half along the old canal. It 's just three kilometers but I stopped a lot, the canal stirs the imagination and I make a lot of photographs. It 's very beautiful and I enjoy it very much. I realize that photo's do not mimic reality but I keep on trying. All 17 old lock are still present. Some gates are opened, others are closed. The old constructions for opening and closing the gates and sluices are still present. Most of the lockkeepers houses are still in full glory. Many of them are used as second house. Through overhead wires they are provided with electricity. The whole atmosphere of the old canal is wonderful.  On our last day I walked the section of the old canal twice. The canal follows the capricious forms of the landscape and winds upwards along the slopes. At a lock I can often see the next lock already or at least suspect it behind a curve. At the end it comes together with the new canal which comes from the inclined slope which is dated in 1969. The canal disappears further on in a tunnel of 2600 meters length, dug from 1839 to 1847.

At lock number 2 I have a conversation with an eighty years old lady. She has lived here all her live at the canal. When I tell her how much I  like the atmosphere of the (old) canal, she disagrees with me. I should have seen the canal when it was still in use. It was tough working. The attendance of the gates was not easy. On an usual day fourty barges were locked. When they were lucky the boats came from both sides but mostly the boats just came from one side because of the one-way traffic in the tunnel. If the ships come from just one side one has to do the work twice because of the extra locking. The Dutch barges were easily recognized. They were the only who blew their ship-horn at curves and they were the only ones who did not navigate on Sundays.

When we cycle away from the camping-site in the other direction, we also see many locks. It is amusing to watch the locking. Especially when barges lock trough. The barges have no more then twenty centimeters margin in the width and about one  meter in the length. Slowly a barge pushes into the lock. The shippers-wife is mostly at the helm. The shipper throws a warp around a bollard and fastens the ship. When the gates are closed I see the barge slowly rise above the quays. Slowly the other gates are opening and the ship continues his way. All the locks are converted to automatic operation but still breath a fine atmosphere. Most of the lockkeepers houses are still there with their colored stucco and red roofing-tiles. Most of them are in use as second houses by people from Strasbourg. Therefore the window-panels are closed , most gardens are unkempt.

I asked a German, who was passing a lock with a rented boat, whether the children and I could navigate a part of the canal with him. I agreed with Marga that she could pick us up at the next lock. She could not come to the canal by the road at that particular place and we traveled along three locks. I enjoyed it very much and so did the children.