Canal Saint Martin

The Canal Saint Martin runs through Paris as a long, narrow ribbon of still water, framed by arched iron footbridges and rows of chestnut trees. Napoleon Bonaparte ordered its construction in eighteen oh two to provide the city with a reliable supply of fresh drinking water. Before the project, cholera outbreaks plagued the dense urban center. By the time workers finished the canal twenty-three years later, they had carved a shortcut through the city that also streamlined the transport of heavy freight.