Musée de la Marine Fluviale

About the museum

The museum occupies the former maison cantonnière (roadman's house) at the zero milestone (borne zéro) of the Canal du Nivernais in Saint-Léger-des-Vignes, where the Canal du Nivernais, the Aron river, the Vieille Loire, the Loire and the Canal latéral à la Loire meet.

Its main exhibit is the tug Ampère V, built in 1933. This boat towed barges from the Canal du Nivernais to the Canal latéral à la Loire by crossing the river over roughly two kilometers, because the Loire's current was too strong for boats without engines. There were three touage services on the Loire in the last century, at Combleux, Briare and Saint-Léger-des-Vignes, and the Ampère V is one of the last surviving tugs in France.

A permanent exhibition room traces the history of the tug and of local navigation: five films of about five minutes each cover inland shipping, coal transport, towpath haulage (halage), touage and the Saint-Léger-des-Vignes weir, complemented by an animated model, photographs and bargemen's equipment. A footbridge leads to the garden, where visitors can climb onto the tug's deck and see the wheelhouse. A second part of the building used to host a temporary exhibition each year.

Highlights

• 1933 tug Ampère V, with access to the deck and wheelhouse
• Permanent room on inland shipping, towpath haulage and touage, with five films of about five minutes each
• Animated model of the confluence's waterways
• Viewpoint and landscape reading table over the weir and the confluence

Permanent exhibitions

• Toueur Ampère V – 1933 tug displayed in the museum garden; a footbridge gives access to its deck and wheelhouse.
• Salle permanente sur le touage et la navigation locale – Five films, an animated model, photographs and bargemen's equipment tracing the history of inland shipping, towpath haulage and touage.

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum is at the zero milestone (borne zéro) of the Canal du Nivernais in Saint-Léger-des-Vignes.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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