The clouds are parting and some sun is getting through, just in time for our walk. The bus stops and we begin at the southwest corner of the area circled by water on the map below.
Until I find a name for it, we will call it "Old Town". This section is called
Grande Île (Big Island) and the entrance where we will walk is called
Petite France. Petite France is the historic quarter.
Grand Île is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1988).
Barage Vauban - on the ILL River. Stone bridge, weir and defensive and dam built in the 1600s. It is made of pink sandstone and now houses sculpture. A "weir" is a structure designed to alter the flow characteristics to help with navigation and flood control. The idea was to flood the land south and make it unappeasable if under attack. There is a walkway on top and quite a view of
Ponts Couverts, a series of three bridges and four towers that guard the area.
I need a map. The Barage Vauban is on the main river and then the photos below walk across several canals. On the map below, the Barage Vauban is the long line across the river on the lower left. We are going to walk across the road that is to the right of that.
The river splits in to
Canal de Faux-Rempart are four channels which flow through the
Ponts Courverts.
This area was once home to the tanners, millers, and fisherman. By the way, I noticed that I took photos of the channels but have none of the towers.
Three of the four channels flowed over weirs that once drove mills and other industries and the fourth one was navigable. I will point out the navigable channel and the 'swing bridge' when we come to it.
This area has many half-timbered buildings, narrow lanes and footbridges that date to the 16th and 17th century.
Note the sloping roofs of the buildings. At one time the loft area was open and hides were dried here.
This is the navigable channel and I am standing on
Pont de Faisan (bridge) that is the swing bridge. A swing bridge pivots to allow the boat traffic to pass.
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