The source of the river Allier (425 km) is in Lozère and flows into the Loire river at the Bec d’Allier near Nevers. The river Allier led to Nantes and later to Paris via the Briare canal (1642).
From modern times until the 19th century, Pont-du-Château was a major river trading town on the Allier, with its sailors’ neighbourhood known as “little Marseille”. The municipality boasted 5 ports: la Vortille, les Palisses, des Bouères, la Borde Saint-Aventin and d’Amont. The last of these, built between 1835 and 1838, is the only built port that is still visible. Its traffic was heavy, with 1,334 boats in 1749 and 1,694 in 1750.
Two types of vessels used it: rafts made from 5 to 15 fir trees, and “sapinières” which were small disposable boats measuring 17 to 23 metres long, built using around 10 fir trees. They could carry up to 20 tonnes of goods, including coal, wine, Volvic stone, paper, wood and hemp to Paris or Nantes. Once they arrived at their destination, the sapinières were dismantled and sold as wood for heating or building. The sailors returned on foot, their anchor on their shoulder, while the wealthier ones moved to Paris as “bougnats”, Auvergne specialists in “Wine, Wood and Coal”.
In the late 19th century, the arrival of the railway spelled the end of waterway shipping. Today the river is frequented by leisure boats and its banks have been enhanced (green paths and parks). Musée de la Batellerie on Place de l’Aire, retraces this history.
Free access.