Canal du Centre (Belgium)
Encyclopedia
The Canal du Centre is a canal
in Belgium
, which, with other canals, links the waterways of the Meuse and Scheldt
rivers. It has a total length of 20.9 km. It connects the artificial lake Grand Large
near Nimy
, with the Brussels-Charleroi Canal
near Seneffe
.
, and passes through the towns of Nimy
, Obour, Ville-sur-Haine
, and Thieu
. This section is 15km long, and has a relief of 23.26m. The canal climbs by means of six locks. There are five locks with a relief of 4.2m, and a final lock with a relief of 2.26m at Thieu
The next section of the original canal route between Thieu
and Houdeng-Goegnies climbs 66m over a distance of 6790m, which is too steep a climb for canal locks. Therefore, this section contains four hydraulic boat lift
s, dating from 1888 to 1917, which are now on the UNESCO World Heritage list (see Lifts on the old Canal du Centre
). These lifts were designed by Edwin Clark of the British company Clark, Stansfield & Clark. For commercial traffic this stretch of the canal has, since 2002, been replaced by an enlarged parallel canal.
For centuries, Belgian people have wanted an inland waterway to connect the Meuse and the Scheldt
. However, the height difference of about 96m between the two rivers would require as many as 32 locks, which was not feasible. In 1879, the Ministry of Public works adopted a proposal by Edwin Clark which used boat lift
s instead of locks. The first lift (Houdeng-Goegnies) was built between 1885 and 1888. It was inaugurated on June 4, 1888 by King Leopold II.
The three other boat lift
s were finally finished in 1917 and put into service in 1919. There were several reasons for this delay. From 1894 to 1911, the economic need for the canal was repeatedly called into question. Then in 1914, when the three lifts were practically finished, World War I
began .
which replaced the four smaller boat lifts and one or two locks which had been part of the former canal.
The Canal du Centre was opened to boats with a displacement of 1,350 tonnes in September 2002. Between 2000 and 2004 the annual ship transits increased from 1,531 to 4,041 while the tonnage carried increased from 282,000 to 1,513,000.
The lifts on the old parallel canal
remain in position, having in 1998 been designated a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, which, with other canals, links the waterways of the Meuse and Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
rivers. It has a total length of 20.9 km. It connects the artificial lake Grand Large
Grand Large
The Grand Large is an artificial lake of Belgium, not far from the city of Mons. The lake is situated along the highway E19 between Paris and Brussels. Its marina can host 157 boats. The lake is linked to two canals: to the east, the Nimy-Blaton-Péronnes Canal, to the west the Canal du Centre....
near Nimy
Nimy
Nimy is a village near the Belgian town of Mons in the province of Hainaut. In 1914, it was the scene of heavy fighting during the Battle of Mons, the first action of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I.- Gallery :...
, with the Brussels-Charleroi Canal
Brussels-Charleroi Canal
The Brussels–Charleroi Canal, also known as the Charleroi Canal amongst other similar names, is an important canal in Belgium. The canal is quite large, with a Class IV Freycinet gauge, and its Wallonian portion is long. It runs from Charleroi in the south to Brussels in the north...
near Seneffe
Seneffe
Seneffe is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Seneffe had a total population of 10,743. The total area is 62.77 km² which gives a population density of 171 inhabitants per km²....
.
Route
The canal begins in the west at MonsMons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
, and passes through the towns of Nimy
Nimy
Nimy is a village near the Belgian town of Mons in the province of Hainaut. In 1914, it was the scene of heavy fighting during the Battle of Mons, the first action of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I.- Gallery :...
, Obour, Ville-sur-Haine
Ville-sur-Haine
Ville-sur-Haine is a village near the Belgian town of Le Rœulx in the province of Hainaut.It is where Canadian private George Lawrence Price, known as the last soldier of the British Empire to be killed in the First World War, died just two minutes before the armistice went into effect....
, and Thieu
Thieu
Thieu is a village in the Belgian province of Hainaut, and a part of the municipality Le Rœulx....
. This section is 15km long, and has a relief of 23.26m. The canal climbs by means of six locks. There are five locks with a relief of 4.2m, and a final lock with a relief of 2.26m at Thieu
Thieu
Thieu is a village in the Belgian province of Hainaut, and a part of the municipality Le Rœulx....
The next section of the original canal route between Thieu
Thieu
Thieu is a village in the Belgian province of Hainaut, and a part of the municipality Le Rœulx....
and Houdeng-Goegnies climbs 66m over a distance of 6790m, which is too steep a climb for canal locks. Therefore, this section contains four hydraulic boat lift
Boat lift
A boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock and the canal inclined plane....
s, dating from 1888 to 1917, which are now on the UNESCO World Heritage list (see Lifts on the old Canal du Centre
Lifts on the old Canal du Centre
The lifts on the old Canal du Centre are a series of four hydraulic boat lifts near the town of La Louvière in the Sillon industriel of Wallonia, classified both as Wallonia's Major Heritage and as a World Heritage Site . Along a particular stretch of the Canal du Centre, which connects the river...
). These lifts were designed by Edwin Clark of the British company Clark, Stansfield & Clark. For commercial traffic this stretch of the canal has, since 2002, been replaced by an enlarged parallel canal.
History: Old canal
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
. However, the height difference of about 96m between the two rivers would require as many as 32 locks, which was not feasible. In 1879, the Ministry of Public works adopted a proposal by Edwin Clark which used boat lift
Boat lift
A boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock and the canal inclined plane....
s instead of locks. The first lift (Houdeng-Goegnies) was built between 1885 and 1888. It was inaugurated on June 4, 1888 by King Leopold II.
The three other boat lift
Boat lift
A boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock and the canal inclined plane....
s were finally finished in 1917 and put into service in 1919. There were several reasons for this delay. From 1894 to 1911, the economic need for the canal was repeatedly called into question. Then in 1914, when the three lifts were practically finished, World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began .
History: New canal
The old canal could accommodate boats with a displacement of up to 350 tons. In 1957 the Belgian parliament passed a law providing for a major expansion of the canal, increasing the maximum displacement of a boat that could use the canal to 1,350 tonnes . In the event, it was decided to alter the course of the canal rather than to enlarge it along the full extent of its existing length. A defining feature of the enlarged canal was the Strépy-Thieu boat liftStrépy-Thieu boat lift
The Strépy-Thieu boat lift lies on a branch of the Canal du Centre in the municipality of Le Rœulx, Hainaut, Belgium. With a height difference of between the upstream and downstream reaches, it is the tallest boat lift in the world, and will remain so until the Three Gorges dam boat lift in...
which replaced the four smaller boat lifts and one or two locks which had been part of the former canal.
The Canal du Centre was opened to boats with a displacement of 1,350 tonnes in September 2002. Between 2000 and 2004 the annual ship transits increased from 1,531 to 4,041 while the tonnage carried increased from 282,000 to 1,513,000.
The lifts on the old parallel canal
Lifts on the old Canal du Centre
The lifts on the old Canal du Centre are a series of four hydraulic boat lifts near the town of La Louvière in the Sillon industriel of Wallonia, classified both as Wallonia's Major Heritage and as a World Heritage Site . Along a particular stretch of the Canal du Centre, which connects the river...
remain in position, having in 1998 been designated a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.