Opened to traffic in 1907, the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne (formerly the Canal de la Marne à la Saône) stretches for 224 kilometres (between Vitry-le-François and Marcilly-sur-Saône). This Freycinet canal provides a link between the Seine and Rhône river systems.
All along its route, it required major works: fixed bridges, swing bridges, footbridges, a canal bridge, as well as tunnels and artificial lakes for its water supply. Crossing the watershed between the Mediterranean, the English Channel and the North Sea (the highest point of the canal) required the digging of a 4,821-metre tunnel (the fourth longest river tunnel in France), which passes some 50 metres beneath the church at Balesmes, as well as the creation of the 4 lakes in the Langres region.| The landscapes it crosses, as well as its tranquillity, make it one of the most beautiful canals in France.
Canal Entre Champagne et Bourgogne
