The Durance played a very important part in the history of Provence, and largely contributed to the economic growth and population of the Marseilles area, after having been an obstacle for centuries.
From Antiquity until the 19th century, the Durance was famous for the difficulty of crossing it, its massive floods and an inconstant flow.
The width of its bed, the force and depth of its current, and the changes of course after the floods hindered crossing by ford.
The only durable fords are those of Mirabeau and Pertuis, obviously unusable in periods of floods.
The changes in the flow also limited river navigation (in spite of size of the river in periods with a high flow.
It sometimes needed several ferries to cross the various arms or channels.
The unstable and sometimes steep banks prevented easy access to ferries.
In more recent times even suspension bridges often had to be re-built after floods.
The Durance played a very important part in the history of Provence, and largely contributed to the economic growth and population of the Marseilles area, after having been an obstacle for centuries. From Antiquity until the 19th century, the Durance was famous for the difficulty of crossing it, its massive floods and an inconstant flow. The width of its bed, the force and depth of its current, and the changes of course after the floods hindered crossing by ford. The only durable fords are those of Mirabeau and Pertuis, obviously unusable in periods of floods. The changes in the flow also limited river navigation (in spite of size of the river in periods with a high flow. It sometimes needed several ferries to cross the various arms or channels. The unstable and sometimes steep banks prevented easy access to ferries. In more recent times even suspension bridges often had to be re-built after floods.
Durance