Brussels-Scheldt Maritime Canal
Encyclopedia
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...
linking Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
with the river Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
. The canal was known as the Brussels-Rupel Maritime Canal, prior to the establishment of a direct link with the Scheldt in 1997.
The canal is one of the oldest navigable canals in Belgium and indeed in Europe. Construction work began in 1550 and lasted until 1561.
However, permission to build the canal had already been granted by Philip the Good in 1436. But due to protests from the city of Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
, authorized to levy taxes on all transport via the Senne
Senné
Senné is a village and municipality in the Veľký Krtíš District of the Banská Bystrica Region of southern Slovakia.-External links:*http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html...
, the project was stalled for a very long time.
In 1531 the Emperor, Charles V renewed the authorization of Philip the Good, but work did not begin immediately. It was not until 1550 that Mary of Hungary
Mary of Hungary
Mary of Anjou was queen regnant of Hungary from 1382 until her death in 1395.-Childhood:...
made an agreement to begin construction. On 16 June 1550 the mayor of Brussels, Jean de Locquenghien gave the ground-breaking ceremony.
The canal along 28 km, a width of 30 metres and a draught of 2 m, connects Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and Willebroek
Willebroek
Willebroek is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Blaasveld, Heindonk, Tisselt, Klein Willebroek and Willebroek proper. On January 1, 2006 Willebroek had a total population of 23,044...
, where it joins the Rupel
Rupel
The Rupel is a tidal river in northern Belgium, right tributary of the Scheldt. It is about 12 km long. It flows through the Belgian province Antwerp. It is formed by the confluence of the rivers Dijle and Nete, in Rumst. It flows into the Scheldt at Rupelmonde. Towns along the Rupel are...
in the hamlet of Klein-Willebroek. The difference in altitude of 14 m between Brussels and Rupel was achieved with 4 locks. With the commissioning of the canal, the ships could now avoid navigating the Senne and being subject to tax in Mechelen.
Soon several basins were built the heart of the city of Brussels, in the St. Catherine area. They were all filled in in the late nineteenth century but are still recognisable today in some of the street names. The course of the canal in Brussels was amended to connect to 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...
which opened in 1832, thus creating a direct link between the Port of Antwerp
Port of Antwerp
The port of Antwerp, in Belgium, is a port in the heart of Europe accessible to capesize ships. Antwerp stands at the upper end of the tidal estuary of the Scheldt. The estuary is navigable by ships of more than 100,000 Gross Tons as far as 80 km inland. The inland location means that the port...
and the industrial area of Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
.
During the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
, the canal hosted the rowing
Rowing at the 1920 Summer Olympics
The Olympic Rowing Events at the 1920 Summer Olympics, the first Olympics after World War I, saw five events. The competitions were held from August 27, 1920 to August 29, 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
events.
In 1922 a fully modernised canal was opened to navigation. Now the canal in the Rupel led by a new lock at Wintham. The locks at Vilvoorde
Vilvoorde
Vilvoorde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the city of Vilvoorde proper with its two outlying quarters of Koningslo and Houtem and the small town of Peutie...
and Humbeek were replaced by the Kapelle-op-den-Bos
Kapelle-op-den-Bos
Kapelle-op-den-Bos is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Kapelle-op-den-Bos proper, Nieuwenrode and Ramsdonk. On January 1, 2006 Kapelle-op-den-Bos had a total population of 8,904...
lock. A new upgrade was initiated in 1965, the canal being widened to 55 m (25 m for the locks) and the draught adapted. The construction of two new locks (205 x 25 m) at Zemst
Zemst
Zemst is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Elewijt, Eppegem, Hofstade, Weerde, Laar and Zemst proper. On January 1, 2006 Zemst had a total population of 21,327...
(opened in 1975) and Hingene (opened in 1997) allowed the canal to lead directly into the Scheldt. The Port of Brussels is now accessible to ships of 4500 tons and pushed convoys of 9000 tons.
The canal is of paramount importance for the supply of oil to Brussels, which typically represents 30 - 50% of annual traffic. In 1974 the annual traffic rose to 14 million tonnes. After a relapse, the volume transported has been rising again in recent years. With 7 million tons carried by the canal, the Port of Brussels is the second inland port in the country after Liege.
Following the regionalisation of Belgium, the management of the canal is no longer in the hands of the "SA Maritime" (company established in 1896) but came under the control of the Port of Brussels for the part in the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region and Waterwegen en Zeekanaal NV for the part in the Flemish Region
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
.