Navigations intérieures

After a long eclipse, the rivers and canals of France have made their return to the heart of our societies, and each of us is now concerned by this considerable change as a citizen, consumer or taxpayer. In all regions, rivers and canals are highlighted and seduce the actors of the economy, tourism, sport and become a privileged place of habitat. This profound movement of rediscovery and reappropriation has defined a new way of living with waterways: we decentralize, we develop urban banks, we rebuild old-fashioned boats, we classify the banks of the Seine, the Loire and the Canal du Midi as Unesco World Heritage sites... Sporting and leisure boating in general are multiplying their activities. Everywhere, people are celebrating these waters, which are home to a regenerated flora and fauna. For their part, transportation is entering a new era. Economical, safe and producing little greenhouse gases, river transport is making a comeback with the support of the State. It has been fifty years since France built any canals! The time has come for a synthesis to present to everyone the essential knowledge on the inland waterways which have shaped, in their own way, the history of France.