Viaduc de Garabit
The huge iron Viaduc de Garabit, one of the great engineering feats of the 19th century,
spans the River Truyère, to the south of Saint-Flour, in a great arch. It was built between
1882 and 1884 by Gustave Eiffel and it was the experience gained here that enabled him to build the Eifel Tower
in 1889. The viaduct is 564 metres (1,850 feet) long and carries the Paris to Béziers railway.
There is an excellent view of the viaduct from the D909 (used to be the N9) at the Truyère crossing.
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Les retenues hyro-électriques ont profondément modifié les paysages et la rivière
Truyère est aujourd'hui une magnifique succession de plans d'eau (barrage de Sarrans,
de Lanau et de Grandval). Le nautisme y est pratiqué et de nombreux bateaux sillonnent
cette petite mer intérieure à la belle saison.
The picturesque fortified village of Minerve is perched on a rocky spur between the gorges
of the Cesse and the Briant, and overlooks an arid landscape.
In 1210, during the Albigensian crusade against the Cathars,
Minerve was besieged for five weeks, and eventually captured,
by Simon de Montfort with a force of 7,000. The village still has numerous rampart walls and gateways,
an ancient well, and a restored 11th-century Romanesque church.
Since 1996, the Canal du Midi has been appointed by UNESCO as a "World Heritage Site".
Such a designation protects the places along its length and reflects on all the regions
of the South West. In fact, let it not be forgotten that since 1858 the developments
of the Canal du Midi and the Canal lateral to the Garonne have been very closely connected.
Nowadays they are as one and are called the Canal deux Mers.
3 Kms environ de fortifications.