Écluses des Récollets

The Écluses des Récollets are identifiable by their heavy green metal gates and the narrow stone chambers that divide the water levels of the Canal Saint-Martin. Completed in eighteen twenty-five, the canal was built to provide fresh water to Paris and to create a trade route for barges navigating through the city. Today, these locks regulate the movement of tourist boats between the Bassin des Récollets and the neighboring basins, creating a slow, rhythmic mechanical dance as the water level shifts.