The 9 Locks
of Fonseranes

The ladder of locks has eight ovoid-shaped basins (specific to the Canal du Midi), and therefore 9 allowing a difference in level of 21.50 m to be overcome, over a length of 312 m. In the 19th century, when it was decided to abandon the crossing in the bed of the Orb and to build a canal bridge, the 7th basin was modified to be connected to the new reach leading to the bridge. Henceforth only six locks (7 gates) are used. On the old route of the canal, there is a last lock at the mouth of the Orb (double lock of Notre-Dame abandoned).

The majesty of the place, the technical prowess that it represented in terms of civil engineering, still seize visitors to the site today. Traditional buildings such as the water coach, the stables, the lock keeper’s house still remain there. This set makes the locks of Fonseranes the 3rd most visited tourist site in the former Languedoc-Roussillon region, after the Pont du Gard and the city of Carcassonne. It is also one of the most visited structures on the Canal du Midi, with 320,000 visitors per year.