Écluse n°1 Canal St Denis - Écluse du Pont de Flandre

The Écluse du Pont de Flandre marks the start of the Canal Saint-Denis, identifiable by the heavy cast-iron lock gates and the small brick operator house perched at the water's edge. Built in the eighteen twenties, this lock drops boats twenty-five feet from the Bassin de la Villette down toward the Seine. In eighteen fifty-five, a barge loaded with stone became stuck during a routine descent, causing a massive backup that left the canal impassable for three full days.