Photo : Jean DESOBEAU http://www.riquetdebonrepos.org / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Château de Bonrepos
The Château de Bonrepos, at Bonrepos-Riquet in the Haute-Garonne, north-east of Toulouse, is the historic home of Pierre-Paul Riquet (1609-1680), the man who conceived and built the Canal du Midi between 1666 and 1681. He lived here and carried out his experiments on supplying the canal with water, around a hydraulic system that, according to the site, is still preserved.
The estate covers about twenty hectares and includes a park and an orangery. The château is run with the commune, which organises tours and events throughout the year: suppers in the orangery, plant days in autumn and a procession in the park in August.
It is a must for understanding the origins of the Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the personality of its builder.
