Imperial Canal of Aragon, Irrigation canal in Navarre and Zaragoza Province, Spain.
The Imperial Canal of Aragon is an irrigation and ship canal in Navarre and Zaragoza Province, Spain, that runs for more than 100 kilometers. It follows the Ebro River and connects villages, fields, and industrial sites through a system of dams, locks, and bridges.
Construction started in 1776 under the direction of Ramón Pignatelli, who introduced new methods for water engineering and agriculture in the region. The work took several decades and created a waterway that irrigated fields and carried boats until the 20th century.
This waterway takes its name from Emperor Charles V, who first proposed the project in the 16th century, though construction only started two hundred years later. Along its course stand mills and locks that show how farmers have used Ebro water for centuries to irrigate dry fields.
The waterway can be followed on foot or by bicycle in many places, though some sections are more accessible than others. Visitors wanting to see the locks and historical structures should focus on Fontellas and the area around Zaragoza, where most features remain intact.
The dam structure at El Bocal lifts water from the Ebro into the waterway and has been supplying thousands of hectares of farmland for more than two centuries without major changes. Some locks still use 18th-century mechanisms operated by hand.
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