Willebroeck Canal

Willebroeck Canal
   Belgium's oldest canal, the Willebroeck Canal gave Brussels secure access to the sea. The Senne River, the city's sole navigable artery, proved impracticable because of fluctuating water levels and progressive silting up. In 1534, Duke Philip the Good granted the city the right to canalize the Senne, and, in 1477, Mary of Burgundy authorized the building of a canal. Construction was mandated by an imperial decree of 7 November 1531. The project involved numerous technical difficulties entailing extensive excavations and construction of innovative locks to accommodate drops in elevation.
   The canal followed a course from Brussels to Vilvoorde and proceeded to Willebroeck where it joined the Rupel River opposite the town of Boom. From its inception, the project was opposed by Mechelen, which saw its ancient privilege of levying duties on goods transported on the Senne endangered. A decree issued by Mary of Hungary on 30 May 1530, prior to the project's final approval, removed this impediment.
   Ground was broken on 16 June 1550. Work progressed rapidly until construction approached Vilvoorde, where officials raised objections to the canal in claiming the waters in the man-made artery would divert flows from the Senne and render the latter unsuitable for navigation. Work was halted until another decree of Mary of Hungary on 10 October 1555 rejected Vilvoorde's assertion. The canal was inaugurated on 12 October 1561 with much pageantry.
   The old port on the right bank of the Senne was now replaced by canal basins and docks for loading and unloading merchandise. In 1560-1561, two basins were dug in the city, the Bassin des Barques and the Bassin des Marchands. The Bassin de Sainte-Catherine was added in 1565 and the Bassin de l'Entrepôt and the Bassin de la Ferme des Boues followed. Traffic on the canal was administered by a special authority—the Schipvaert.
   The city instituted boat service for travelers between Brussels and Antwerp via the canal and the Rupel River. In the years after the canal's opening the district around the waterway became one of the city's most fashionable areas.
   Between 1829 and 1836 and 1900 and 1922 the Willebroeck Canal was enlarged. Plans were drafted in 1902 for the construction of a sea canal. World War I delayed construction but a widened canal was opened in 1922, which made it possible for oceangoing vessels to reach Brussels. The 31.9 km (19.8 mi.) canal today accommodates vessels of 2,000 gross tons.
   See also Port of Brussels; Sainte-Catherine, Place.

Historical Dictionary of Brussels. .

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Canal de Willebroeck — Canal maritime de Bruxelles à l Escaut 51° 01′ 41″ N 4° 21′ 25″ E / 51.028, 4.357 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Brussels-Charleroi Canal —    The Brussels Charleroi Canal links the Willebroeck Canal at Brussels with the Sambre River at Charleroi. For two centuries, a waterway had been sought as a means to lower the cost of transporting coal from the mines in Hainault to Brussels and …   Historical Dictionary of Brussels

  • Brussels-Rupel Canal —    See Willebroeck Canal …   Historical Dictionary of Brussels

  • Economy —    The earliest economic development of Brussels reflected its role as a military and administrative center. The castrum built by Charles of France required provisioning, which led to construction of a loading dock on the Senne River and a bridge …   Historical Dictionary of Brussels

  • Senne/Zenne — (river)    The Senne is the river on which Brussels was founded. The name derives from the Celtic Sonia. It was also called Sin in some early sources.    The Senne rises in the province of Hainault and flows through the city from southwest to… …   Historical Dictionary of Brussels

  • Chronology — ca. 2250 1900 bce Neolithic remains found at Schaerbeek, Boitsfort, and Uccle. ca. 1000 800 bce Celtic tribes settle in Belgium. 58 51 bce The Belgae, a Gallic tribe, are defeated by Julius Caesar. ca. ce 175 Roman villa in existence at Laeken.… …   Historical Dictionary of Brussels

  • Koekelberg/Koekelberg —    Koekelberg is the most recent of the communes within the Brussels Capital Region, having been created by being detached from Berchem Sainte Agathe in April 1841. It had been a hamlet of the latter. Koekelberg s proximity to the Willebroeck… …   Historical Dictionary of Brussels

  • Sanitation —    An ordinance of 1341 forbade use of streets for defecation and urination under penalty of fine, but this was largely flaunted. The mesthoop (dung heap) created about 1620 near the present site of rue d Ophem served as a collection point for… …   Historical Dictionary of Brussels

  • Allée Verte/Groendreef —    A country lane that joined Brussels to Laeken along the east side of the Willebroeck Canal, the Allée Verte was lined with elm trees and was the route of grand processions to the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Laeken led by Archduchess Isabella… …   Historical Dictionary of Brussels

  • French Regime — (1794 1815)    A French army under General Charles François Dumouriez entered Brussels on 14 November 1792 following victory at Jemappes (6 November) and a celebratory reception was held at the Hôtel du Prince de Galles. A liberty tree was… …   Historical Dictionary of Brussels

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”