Bernistap Canal

The canal must be part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands of Willem I van Oranje-Nassau, who wanted to improve trade contacts with the rest of Europe by connecting the Maas and the Rhine via the Ourthe and the Mosel.

In 1828, under the Dutch occupation, it was decided to build a canal that would connect the Meuse with the Moselle. Construction started with a huge construction site in Bernistap. Then in 1830 Belgium announced its independence and the Dutch turned off the money tap. Actually, cargo ships with up to 40 tons should pass through here, today nature has brought the area back.

This canal is a historical remnant of Dutch rule.
From 1821 to 1831, the works of a daring dream began: connecting the Meuse to the Moselle. The project was gigantic: 200 locks had to be built via the Ourthe and the Sure to close a height difference of 684 metres. 300 kilometres of embankments had to be canalised, underground passages had to be dug in the rocks to pass under the Ardennes massif! In 1830, the Revolution and Belgian independence put an end to the grand project.