The Écluse de Marseillette is a simple lock on the Canal du Midi in the municipality of Marseillette and is connected to the Canal du Midi, which is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Marseillette will plan their trip around this location.
Culture and History
The Church of Saint-André in Marseillette was built between the 12th and 14th centuries and can currently only be viewed from the outside. At its entrance, the esplanade offers panoramic views over the Aude plain and the Alaric Massif.
The Chappe Tower of Marseillette is 14 metres high and the highest tower of its kind in the Aude département. The Tour Chappe, also known as the Tour de l’horloge or Tour du Fort, served as a relay in the world’s first structured telecommunications network in the 19th century.
Landscape and Agriculture
The drained Étang de Marseillette covers 2,000 hectares and is spread across the municipalities of Marseillette, Aigues-Vives, Saint-Frichoux and Puichéric. Today, the drained Étang de Marseillette is primarily used to grow grapevines, apples and rice.
Domaine Saint-Gabriel grows rice on 70 hectares in the former Étang de Marseillette, including short-grain, aromatic, long-grain and red whole-grain rice.
Paths and Activities
The quiet, flat paths around the Étang asséché de Marseillette are suitable for walking and cycling. The Canal à vélo Marseillette–Puichéric cycle route runs as a nature stage along a minimally developed path between the vineyards of the Minervois and rice fields on the site of the former drained Étang.
The section between Marseillette and Puichéric is 6 kilometres long and leads to the L’Aiguille lock. A mountain biking tour between Trèbes and Marseillette along the Canal du Midi covers 10 kilometres.
By the Water
At the Marseillette nautical stop, boats can take on water at a coin-operated water dispenser at the harbour for a fee.
