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Discover
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Belgium
Wallonia

Wallonie

Hainaut
Soignies
Le Rœulx

Canal du Centre Boat Lift No. 4

Discover
Places to see
Belgium
Wallonia

Wallonie

Hainaut
Soignies
Le Rœulx

Canal du Centre Boat Lift No. 4

Highlight • Monument

Canal du Centre Boat Lift No. 4

Recommended by 261 cyclists out of 264

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    Location: Le Rœulx, Soignies, Hainaut, Wallonie, Wallonia, Belgium

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    Top cycling routes to Canal du Centre Boat Lift No. 4

    4.8

    (88)

    311

    riders

    1. Belfry of Mons – Strépy‑Thieu Boat Lift loop from La Louvière-Centre

    48.3km

    02:53

    230m

    230m

    Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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    Moderate

    4.5

    (54)

    256

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    2. Canal du Centre – Old Lift Lock No. 2 loop from Obourg

    43.2km

    02:35

    160m

    160m

    Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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    Moderate

    4.7

    (47)

    253

    riders

    3. Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift – Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift loop from Thieu

    23.0km

    01:25

    150m

    160m

    Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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    Moderate

    Tips

    August 4, 2020

    The ship lifts on the Centrumkanaal are special constructions that ensure that ships can bridge the required height difference. The ships are lifted by four hydraulic lifts, after which they can sail further.

    Translated by Google •

      May 22, 2020

      Elevator N ° 4 Former Canal Du Center.

      Recognized as exceptional works of art worldwide, they were classified as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1998.
      With the development of industrial activities in the region, mainly linked to coal, the problem of transporting goods naturally arose. Between the Charleroi-Brussels Canal and the Mons-Condé Canal, the slopes were too steep to be able to effectively install locks.
      The four hydraulic boat lifts, grouped together on a short segment of the historic Canal du Center, constitute industrial monuments of the highest quality. Together with the canal itself and its associated structures, they offer a remarkably well-preserved and complete example of a late 19th-century industrial landscape.
      Built between 1888 and 1917, they make it possible to compensate for a total drop of 66 meters on the Canal du Center thanks to a single source of energy: water!

      In 2002, the commissioning of the Strépy-Thieu funicular lift shifted freight traffic to the new canal adapted to barges of 1350 tonnes. Hydraulic lifts are now used only for leisure navigation ... to the delight of tourists and boaters!
      This glorious industrial past also offers towpaths, greenways in the city, true havens of peace. A natural setting that invites long walks or bike rides.

      Translated by Google •

        July 30, 2023

        This series of boat lifts on the Canal du Centre is an extraordinarily impressive example of the engineering skills of previous generations. Even back then, people found solutions to seemingly intractable problems using comparatively simple means: overcoming a significant difference in height with a ship, a problem that was impossible using previous methods of simple lock construction. This structure has therefore quite rightly been recognized as an Industrial World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

        A 15-minute film documentary (in German) is available in the ARD Mediathek as part of the series "Treasures of the World - Heritage of Humanity":
        ardmediathek.de/video/schaetze-der-welt/canal-du-centre-die-vier-schiffshebewerke-des-canal-du-centre-belgien-folge-375/3sat/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS82NjEwNTUy

        Translated by Google •

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          Details

          Informations

          Elevation 60 m

          Weather

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          Today

          Sunday 23 November

          4°C

          2°C

          70 %

          If you start your activity now...

          Max wind speed: 25.0 km/h

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          Location: Le Rœulx, Soignies, Hainaut, Wallonie, Wallonia, Belgium

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