While rummaging through our attic or basements, we often end up finding a lot of interesting and surprising stuff we may have forgotten about. It is one of the blessings that comes with cleaning the house when such incident occur. So can you just imagine the kind of items that a 200 year old canal would contain if it got drained? Just buckle yourselves up because this strange canal has a lot of mysterious items it had been hiding all these years, surprising everyone. On one January day in Paris, a crowd gathered around the Canal Saint-Martin. As they noticed dingy brown depths of the canal, they were about to unfold a lot of secrets that were hidden in it. The water of the canal had drained out, so the bottom layer was completely visible, and it revealed some astonishing facts about the canal.

Intriguing History Of The Canal

So most of you may be wondering how this canal came into being in the first place right? Well. we did a little digging and so we could get the history of this canal that has been a crucial part of this Parisian street’s identity. This incredible canal was actually built in the year 1802 after the famous French leader Napoleon I passed the order for its construction. The total population of the city of Paris during this period was around 550,000 and it was increasing in an alarming amount. So Napoleon felt that the canal would be of huge help in bringing fresh water to this town which and would ultimately rid the town of diseases that were in full flourish during those days. 

A Crucial part of Trade And Commerce

If you are wondering how much this canal takes up, we have the answers right here. This canal had made a few important changes in the living conditions of the people living nearby. The Canal Saint-Martin covers a whopping three miles of central Paris. Back in the olden days, the tax collected on wine was made use of as a fund for the canal. This resulted in a historical event in the trade and it further made positive changes as it also brought in fresh water to the city. The canal paved the way for transporting building supplies and food for the people of Paris. So the idea that first propelled this canal to be in full construction paid off and now Parisians were living off of the advantages that the canal offered.

Stunning Discovery

Since this canal is kept for the public’s easy access, had fallen victim to the filthy habits of the people who visit it. It has collected so much garbage that it was now time once again, for the residents to join forces and cleanse it. The Canal Saint-Martin was last drained back in the years 2001. So after doing all the filthy work, the authorities were able to gather almost 40 tons of garbage from the canal. There were so many incredible finds that these cleaners found out. They even found a car, some washing machines, gold coins and two 75mm shells which had its root connected to World War I. This was indeed no joke and the fact that the canal kept all these inside its water, all the while, made it quite shocking. 

Secrets Revealed

After a long period of transferring fishes from the drain to another, the draining the whole entirety of water then took place. The water had been so polluted that the bottom of the canal could not even be seen anymore. It did not take too long for the water to get drained as there were no more living organisms to be careful about. So then, the canal was successfully emptied as of January 7. This ended up in an eventual revelation of canal’s secrets for the first time in 15 years. The view astounded the public gathered around the canal’s footbridges. The canal had been hiding so much and it really puts up the question of as to how hygienic the people of Paris are.

Not Just Bicycles

The scene looked like one of those mysterious documents about underwater discoveries that sme of us may have watched. “It’s like some kind of weird submarine treasure,” one witness named Marc who was there while the Canal Saint-Martin was cleaned had said in an interview. He further explained about how shocked he was to see all those bicycles saying, “I just can’t believe the quantity of Vélibs in there. I guess they were stolen and thrown in afterward. It’s bizarre.” However, bicycles weren’t the only outlandish things to be found during the cleaning up process. There were a lot other things that made their way into the canal that are also noteworthy and unbelievable.

From Bad To Worse

Some of the people present during the time the canal had been drained spoke about the shocking revelation the it had resulted in. They were not holding anything back. “That’s Paris for you,” one person named Bernard who was a bystander to the whole cleaning incident commented. “It’s filthy.” “The last time, I don’t remember seeing so much rubbish in it,” he continued as he spoke about the amount of garbage the canal had collected. “I despair. The youngsters are using it as a dustbin.” After hearing such comments from a Parisian himself, you have to wonder if Paris is indeed a dirty place where people do not follow common decency when it comes to public hygiene.