Consider this: a marvel of 17th-century engineering. This is the Aqueduc de Louveciennes. It stands as a testament to Louis XIV’s ambition. The Sun King wanted to tame nature itself.
The Aqueduc de Louveciennes is sometimes called the Aqueduc de Marly. This aqueduct is located in Louveciennes. Today, it is out of service but classified as a historic monument. It once supplied water to the gardens of the Château de Marly and the Château de Versailles. The water came from the Seine.
Imagine the scale of this project. The Aqueduc de Louveciennes stretches 643 meters. Its width varies from 2 to 4.4 meters. Its height reaches 10 to 20 meters. It comprises 36 arches.
The Machine de Marly played a crucial role. This monumental machine sat on the Seine at Bougival. It pumped water using fourteen paddle wheels. The water climbed nearly 150 meters up the Louveciennes hill through pipes. These pipes rested on paved ramps.
The water then flowed into a reservoir. It sat atop the tour du Levant. This tower marks the aqueduct’s northern end. A lead-lined canal carried the water. The canal measured one meter wide and two meters deep. Gravity propelled the water to the tour du Jongleur. This tower stands at the aqueduct’s southern end. From there, a siphon regulated the flow. It fed the reservoir des Deux-Portes. This reservoir supplied the basins of Marly and Louveciennes.
Initially, the Aqueduc de Louveciennes was to extend to the regard du Jongleur. During construction, the plan changed. They decided to stop it short and install a siphon.
Jules Hardouin-Mansard directed the construction. He designed the water arrival tower. Robert de Cotte followed between 1681 and 1685. Jean Bailly and Louis Rocher built the arches. They had just finished the Château de Marly. Nicolas Le Jongleur, the king’s fountain engineer, created the tour and regard du Jongleur in 1683.
In 1866, the Aqueduc de Louveciennes was decommissioned. Underground pipes replaced it. Eight arches now cross the Arches cemetery.
During the Siege of Paris in 1870, the tour du Levant became an observation post. Future Emperor William I and Chancellor Bismarck used it. The tower was renovated between 1998 and 2000.
Consider the ingenuity and ambition behind the Aqueduc de Louveciennes. It stands as a reminder of Louis XIV’s desire to control nature. The Aqueduc de Louveciennes remains a symbol of French engineering and royal ambition.