page_title: Brussels–Charleroi Canal
section_title: Work begins
hierarchical_section_title: Brussels–Charleroi Canal / History / Work begins
caption_attribution_description: propre photo
context_page_description: 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 47.9 kilometres long. It runs from Charleroi in the south to Brussels in the north. It is part of a north-south axis of water transport in Belgium, whereby the north of France including Lille and Dunkirk and important waterways in the south of Belgium including the Sambre valley and sillon industriel are linked to the port of Antwerp in the north, via the Brussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal which meets the Brussels–Charleroi Canal at the Sainctelette area.
  The Ronquières inclined plane is the most remarkable feature of the canal.
context_section_description: During the industrial revolution, coal saw a tremendous rise in economic importance. The Sambre and Marne valleys are quite rich in coal, and during the reign of William I of the Netherlands (1813–1840), concrete plans to extend the canal were at last made.
  The project was undertaken by A.J. Barthélemy, member of the lower chamber of the States-General of the Netherlands and adviser to the regent in Brussels. He proposed inclined planes be used instead of locks, but his idea was ahead of its time. An inclined plane is quicker, and wastes less water, than a flight of canal locks, but is more costly to install and run. Jean-François Gendebien, a very prominent Belgian politician (although Belgium was then called the Southern Netherlands and was not independent) supported the idea, though finances had the last say in the matter, resulting in locks being chosen over inclined planes.
  Today's canal is actually the fourth version. The first version, built from 1827 to 1832, has a gauge of only 70 tonnes (69 long tons; 77 short tons). Just over 20 years later, 1854, work began to create a "large gauge" canal (today's medium gauge) of  300 t (300 long tons; 330 short tons) on certain sections, which was completed in 1857. Ambitious enlargements began again with the lock at Flanders' Gate (Porte de Flandre) in Brussels, which was expanded to a gauge of 600–800 t (590–790 L/T/660–880 S/T).
  By 1933, all locks downstream of Clabecq were modified to a capacity of  1,350 tonnes (1,330 long tons; 1,490 short tons). The last major improvement to the canal was the addition of the Class IV, 1350 tonne inclined plane at Ronquières, just uphill of Lock #5 at Ittre. The inclined plane is considered a masterpiece of civil engineering, while the lock has a rise of 13.5 m (44 ft), one of the highest in Belgium.
  Life Around the Canal
  As Belgian industry began to flourish in the city of Brussels, the land surrounding the canal became increasingly important and diverse. Two very prominent trade routes crossed paths in the valley of Brussels along the waterways, bringing in large numbers of merchants to lower Brussels. One of the major trade routes was from the Rhineland to Flanders, while the other one was from Antwerp to Wallonia. This area along the water was a booming marketplace crucial to the up-rise of urbanisation, and in turn modernisation of the city. After a period of rapid industrialisation that took place sometime between the 1750s and 1780s, life around the canal expanded at very high rates. The canal was state of the art; the connection of waterways and roads allowed this area to become a centre of activity. The growth of international and domestic trade coupled with an increase in capital investment from wealthy landowners and merchants produced tons of jobs in the canal area. After this, the city showed no signs of slowing down on its journey to becoming one of the most influential cities in all of Europe. By 1930, Brussels population was up to over 200,000, compared to an estimated 65,000 in the year 1700. During the early 1980s, the 25 neighbourhoods around the canal were home to one fifth of Brussels population. The surrounding area holds a sense of youth, as it contributes to Brussels having the youngest population of any city in Belgium.  The effects of this mass migration to the lower valley in Brussels can be seen in the diversity of cultures. As the trade economy along the waterways continued to grow, immigrants from all over Europe came to benefit off of the booming industries. It has been estimated that the population of immigrants grew from 7% of the total population in the early 1960s to 56% of the total population in the early 2000s. Throughout Brussels history, life centered around the canal has been high energy and progressive. Political issues involving powerful European nations throughout history surely had an effect on the city as a whole, but through thick and thin the canal zone remained the heart and soul of the city dominated by no single culture.
caption: The lock at Ittre.
exif: {}