Monday, May 20, 2019

Bollène, France: Ecluse de Bollène

George Marshall, take a bow.

Yes, this is the biggest lock in all of France and the second-biggest in Europe - the Ecluse de Bollène. It is part of an hydroelectric complex that provides plenty of energy for Southern France. By the way, there is a nuclear plant and windmills nearby, so they have most of the options for energy covered here.

It was built shortly after World War II, with the cost covered by the Marshall Plan. The lock is 190 meters long and seven stories high, and so it can handle some major ships.

It takes several minutes to go through this lock, and it's an impressive process - worth a visit to the top of the ship to see it all.

But if you don't have the time to see it that way, here's a quick version:

 

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