When Authorities Drained This 200 Year Old Canal, What They Found At The Bottom Was Extraordinary
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Published 2018-05-07
It’s a gray January day in Paris, and a crowd has gathered along the Canal Saint-Martin. As they stare into the murky brown depths below, the waters slowly empty, uncovering secrets that have been kept hidden for many years. And as the bottom of the 200-year-old canal emerges into view, a truly bizarre underside of the city is revealed.
The story of the famous canal began in 1802, when the French leader Napoleon I ordered its construction. At the time, around 550,000 people were living in Paris, and the population was continuing to grow. Napoleon therefore hoped that canals bringing fresh water to the city would help to prevent the spread of disease.
As a result, over the next two decades, three canals were dug across the city, together totaling more than 80 miles in length. Arguably the most famous of the three, the Canal Saint-Martin, connects the 68-mile Canal de l’Ourcq with the long, lazy flow of the River Seine.
Beginning in Bassin de l’Arsenal by the Seine, the canal travels underground beneath Place de la Bastille, the site of a prison that was stormed during the French Revolution. It subsequently emerges close to the Place de la République before heading north to the Bassin de la Villette. There, it joins with the Canal de l’Ourq and the River Ourcq beyond.
In total, the Canal Saint-Martin covers some three miles of central Paris. Originally funded by a levy on wine, it historically brought trade as well as fresh water to the city. In fact, in its heyday the waterway also carried both building supplies and food to the people of Paris.
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All Comments (21)
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I never thought an urban canal would have garbage at the bottom. Thanks for educating me.
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A supermarket trolley, some chairs and a bike.... Extraordinary..
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I feel the word "anticlimactic" is used far too often, but I don't know how else to explain what I just saw.
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Bikes. They found bicycles. Took 7 minutes to say that. Ugh.
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Didn't think a pace slower than 'snail' existed - until this video!
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Saw this topic on a snap-chat click-bait article, googled the topic instead, was not disappointed with the results. This is nicely informative and surprising.
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That's 6 minutes of my life I'll never get back.
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Thanks for adding a red circle in the thumbnail, I almost didn't see it
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That was 7 minutes of my life I won't get back.
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A bunch of bottles and shopping trollies is hardly Extraordinary? I'm guessing thats what you'd find if you drained most canals unfortunately . Now a UFO or wooly mammoth would be extraordinary.
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Always gotta fast forward on this guys vids
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Oh my gosh! I can't believe they found a dinosaur bone! Woah! ;)
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It really is heartbreaking to see. I watch videos of once gorgeous sandy island beaches & now they are garbage pits for no one to enjoy.(unusable) Everyone is capable of picking up their own rubbish. In this case, stop dumping it off in the waterways. Thank you Facts Box, your vids are always great! Hope you're doing well.😘🍀🌻💜
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Came from Instagram and the many MANY pages that were posting the literal same exact thing
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Wow the history is great so is the channel! Thanks for this and your time of this great video!
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You got the best narrative voice. Love your videos
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Well that's 6 minutes of my life I'll never get back
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Guy at 5:29, shoot I can't chuck this bike in there now 😂 😂
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Wait: did he say a getto style music blaster.😂😂😂
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I actually found this video interesting. Loved the info and fun facts
