Pierre-Paul Riquet
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Pierre-Paul Riquet, Baron de Bonrepos (French pronunciation: [pjɛʁ pɔl ʁikɛ]; 29 June 1609 (some sources say 1604) – 4 October 1680) was the engineer and canal-builder responsible for the construction of the Canal du Midi.
Background
Paul Riquet was born in Béziers, Hérault, France, the eldest son of solicitor, state prosecutor and businessman Guillaume Riquet.[1] As a youth, Riquet was only interested in mathematics and science. He married Catherine de Milhau at age 19.
As a Riquet became wealthy and was given permission by the King to levy his own taxes. This gave him greater wealth, which allowed him to execute grand projects with technical expertise.
The Canal du Midi
Riquet is the man responsible for building the 240-kilometre-long artificial
Planning, financing, and construction of the
The high cost of construction depleted Riquet's personal fortune and the seemingly insurmountable problems caused his sponsors, including Louis XIV, to lose interest. Riquet's major engineering achievements included the Fonseranes Lock Staircase and the Malpas Tunnel, the world's first navigable canal tunnel. The canal was completed in 1681, eight months after Riquet's death.[2][3] He is buried in the Cathedral Saint-Etienne in Toulouse.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-2-7373-3923-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-1574092103.
- ISBN 978-0-691-14032-2.
External links
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