We
left Paris with a weather forecast that was assuring us of sunny sky.
Well weather.com was not accurate at all. We visited the Mont
Saint-Michel under a grey sky unfortunately.
Mont
Saint-Michel is a rocky tidal island and a commune in Normandy,
France. It is located approximately one kilometre off the country's
north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near
Avranches. The population of the island is 44. The island has held
strategic fortifications since ancient times, and since the 8th
century AD been the seat of the monastery from which it draws its
name. The Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay are part of the UNESCO list
of World Heritage Sites. More than 3,000,000 people visit it each
year.
Tidal
island Mont Saint-Michel was previously connected to the mainland via
a tidal causeway. This connection has been altered over the
centuries. In 1879, the tidal causeway was converted into a raised or
dry causeway. This prevented the tide from scouring the silt around
the mount.
On
16 June 2006, the French prime minister and regional authorities
announced a €164 million project to build a hydraulic dam using the
waters of the river Couesnon and of tides to help remove the
accumulated silt deposited by the rising tides, and to make
Mont-Saint-Michel an island again. It was projected to be completed
by 2015.
The
construction of the dam began in 2009 and is now complete. The
project also included the removal of the causeway and its visitors
car-park. It will be replaced by a light bridge, allowing the waters
to flow freely around the island, which will improve the efficiency
of the now operational dam.
Bonne
visite.
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