The old canal lock of the Joux Verte

The canal lock of the Joux Verte, first barrage of Europe, built in 1695, was used to bring by land and water the wood necessary to the salt industry, the main industry of the Chablais. Abandoned at the end of the 19th century, this barrage slow fell into ruin. However, in 1981, its importance for the history of Swiss civil engineering allowed its ruins to be saved. It was declared of national interest and its remains were restored in 1982-1983.

Liliane Desponds : Historian, member of the Académie du Chablais vaudois, she has published books about the medical and tourist history of Leysin, as well as books about the electrical industry of Aubonne, the east of Vaud and the Chablais. She collaborated to the book Union et Concorde, published during the commemorations of the two hundred years of the canton of Vaud and, as scientific counsellor, to Francis Reusser’s film, La Guerre dans le Haut Pays.