Heritages and contemporary interactions of old structures in the middle Loire River (France)
Dikes -called “duits” and “chevrette”- impregnate strongly the fluvial landscape of the Loire Valley through their ubiquity and their integration into structures of the old port cities. These structures were operational at the time of the navigation on the Loire River. Today, they disrupt fluvial dynamics with sediment retention, modifications of flow, and development of vegetation in the riverbed. These structures have also contributed to the river readjustment still in progress. The fluvial landscape has changed drastically since the abrupt cessation of navigation and maintenance works at the end of the nineteenth century. The current management of the river landscape is facing conflicts and issues: maintain and restore the riverbed, maintain or remove the fluvial structures, or promote the heritage of navigation. To illustrate these ideas, we focus on two sites in the middle Loire valley: La Charité-sur-Loire (chevrette), Orléans (duits).