Read more about the article Four Lifts of the Canal du Centre – Belgium
Four Lifts of the Canal du Centre - Belgium

Four Lifts of the Canal du Centre – Belgium

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The last 4 hydraulic lifts from the 20th century in operation in the world

Canal du Centre, Belgium, July 2016

The Four Lifts of the Canal du Centre is the continuation of the previous travel guide on the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia. Both of which the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that we visited at the same time along the same route we planned for today. Since all these places are scattered through the same region, our starting point for this tour was the farthest to the east from our base, Brussels, to then continue in the easiest and simplest route to reach all the other sites along towards the last one, the farthest to the west before heading back to our base.

While the 4 mining sites are all within a trench of 150 kilometres from the Blegny Mine at the east and the Le Grand Hornu in the west, the 4 hydraulic lifts of the Canal du Centre are all located in La Louviere, spamming less than 8 kilometres apart. In this short distance the difference in the level of water between the river basins of the Meuse and the Scheldt is 66 meters. The solution to this was the set of 4 boat lifts we still see today, with the Houdeng-Goegnies built the first in 1888, and the remaining 3 in 1917.

Nowadays, their operation is reduced to only recreational use since the construction of the Strépy-Thieu boat lift that bypasses the older structures in a single lift rising boats 73 meters. Right until January 2016 it was the highest in the world, nowadays eclipsed by the Three Gorges Lift in China. (more…)

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Read more about the article Major Mining Sites of Wallonia – Belgium
Major Mining Sites of Wallonia - Belgium

Major Mining Sites of Wallonia – Belgium

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Industrial Valley of Belgium

Belgium, a small country but so much to offer to any visitor. I cannot count any longer how many times I’ve come to everywhere, especially Bruges, Ghent and Brussels, yet never getting tired for returning to Brussels. One of my favourite European cities with difference and because of its pretty much central location in the country, easy for making it the base and visiting other places around. If this is your first time travelling to the country and planning a visit to Brussels, then it’s best you check the separate travel guide for it, just simply click here. Right now, I will be splitting into 2 different guides all the places that we planned for this weekend.

In order for me to plan where else to go within a country and what is there worth to visit and keep returning to that country, sometimes often, I usually check the UNESCO website in search of UNESCO sites. This is already a very solid base that has never failed to us, not to mention we are strongly UNESCO sites seekers. So in this occasion, I could work out and prepare another great trip full or surprises: The Four Lifts of the Canal du Centre and the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia, all of which scattered along some 100 kilometers between the farthest ones, all the others in between more or less near each other, and south of Brussels. From near Liege at the east to Saint-Ghislain in the west, you will see it makes perfect sense to follow an east-west or west-east order since once site comes after next.

Either if this is your first time at 19th/20th century coal mines or if you’ve visited elsewhere some other mines, it is guaranteed you will love it! Not only the incredible underground tour at the Blegny Mine, but also the beautiful pieces of industrial architecture that was raised above, some of which influenced in the art-nouveau style. (more…)

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