Machine de Marly

The Machine de Marly (French pronunciation: [maʃin də maʁli]), also known as the Marly Machine or the Machine of Marly, was a large hydraulic system in Yvelines, France, built in 1684 to pump water from the river Seine and deliver it to the Palace of Versailles. As a monumental hydraulic system constructed in the late 17th century to pump water from the Seine River to the fountains and gardens of Versailles, a crucial feat of engineering for King Louis XIV's elaborate water displays. It was the largest and most complex mechanical system of its time, powered by 14 large waterwheels turning over 250 pumps to lift water nearly 177 yards up a hill. Though its primary goal was to enable the extravagant water features of the royal estates, it became a symbol of Louis XIV's power — and a ultimately, a popular tourist attraction. Louis XIV needed a large water supply for his fountains at Versailles. Before the Machine, the amount of water delivered to Versailles already exceeded that used by the city of Paris, but this proved insufficient for even the Palace — and fountain-rationing was necessary. Ironically most of the water pumped by the Marly Machine ended up being used to develop a new garden at the Château de Marly. However, even if all the water pumped at Marly (an average of 3,200 cubic metres or 703,902 imperial gallons or 845,351 US gallons per day) had been supplied to Versailles, it still would not have been enough: the fountains running à l'ordinaire (that is, at half pressure) required at least four times as much. Based on a prototype at the Château de Modave, the system used fourteen gigantic water wheels, each roughly 11.5 metres or 38 feet in diameter, that powered more than 250 pumps to bring water...