L'Aqueduc de la Dhuys

The aqueduct de la Dhuys (or Dhuis, pronounce the s) was built between 1863 and 1865 at the request of Napoleon III (1808-1873) to carry water from the Dhuys, a river that flows into the Surmelin, which in turn flows into the Marne. It starts at Pargny-la-Dhuys (near Château-Thierry) and ends at the Ménilmontant reservoir (in the 20th arrondissement of Paris). Mostly buried, its total length is 131 km, and it crosses 4 départements: Aisne, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis and Paris. The aqueduct starts at an altitude of 128 m and reaches the capital at 108 m. This slight slope enables the water to flow by gravity alone. In places, the underground structure is 2.20 m high and 1.80 m wide. As with most aqueducts, manholes were installed along its length. Very few of these still exist near Paris, but you can still see "PH" (Points Hectométriques), a kind of kilometre marker indicating the distance, in hectometres, from Pargny-la-Dhuys. It currently supplies Disneyland Paris.

Show less