Port Saint Roch: a fresh new harbour along the Briare canal
Just a stone’s throw away from the Loing, a river that joins the iconic Seine downstream, the Canal de Briare crosses one of the numerous so-called French Venices. This one, often named the Venice of the Gâtinais, after the local natural region, is Montargis, a heritage town for many reasons. On the one hand, this city comprehends several items of architectural and urban importance. On the other hand, one asset offered by the landscape enhances its preciousness: here we speak about water. Water runs through the heart of the town and constitutes an essential part of its development. Through centuries, it helped shaping the gentle transitions between the city and natural spaces, between quays, waterways and ponds.
Focusing on the historical centre of Montargis, the municipality has developed a series of urban projects that reflect a vision of overall development and urban revitalisation for both residents and tourists. Arpentère closely worked with the city to magnify the shapes of water with the creation of the Port Saint-Roch, or Saint Roch harbor. Here we drew a large esplanade, a harbour master’s office and a basin to accommodate river navigation. Its banks will be designed so that up to sixty boats can be parked there.
Following the Briare canal, the creation of the harbor just nearby Montargis will extend the zones of interest and the town centre’s appeal perimeter. This helps link up with natural areas of the Loing loops and the wilder banks. Here, nature is invited into the city.
Another purpose of this project is to offer a coherent itinerary between the different spaces that punctuate the harbour. The latter is turned into a scenographic urban space that brings together river tourism and the city. The great esplanade, a key space of the project, is thought of as a mineral stone tile, a plaza that welcomes diverse events. A pedestrian trail articulates along the banks, intertwined with existing trees and gardens. The bike lane we develop there will be one of the links in a major trans-European cycle route.
This alley is completed with new plants and bushes, and existing structures along the canal, such as quayside stones extracted from the Souppe stone quarry or cobblestone floors, are put forward as important heritage features. Indeed, the choice of landscaping materials was guided by several objectives, such as a good adaptation to the uses and to the character of the site. In addition, preference is given to natural materials that were extracted close to the site. For instance, the sidewalks of the promenades and esplanades are made of sawn sandstone pavers, identical to those we can find a few streets away.
Project Data
Landscape architect: arpentère
Client: Ville de Montargis (45)
Cost of works: 7 M€ HT
Surface area: 22 000 m²
Partner: Lancereau & Meyniel architecte urbaniste, SCE ingéniérie
Year completed: 2025
Project location: Montargis, France
Photo credits: Karolina Samborska and Arpentère
