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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

Canal du Centre Boat Lift No. 4

Recommended by 258 cyclists out of 261

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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

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    1. Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift – The Grand Large of Mons loop from La Louvière-Centre

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    200m

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

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    Intermediate

    4.8

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    271

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    2. Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift – Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift loop from La Louvière-Centre

    25.4km

    01:34

    140m

    140m

    Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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    Easy

    4.8

    (69)

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    3. The Grand Large of Mons – Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift loop from Mons

    46.6km

    02:48

    160m

    160m

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

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    Intermediate

    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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          Elevation 60 m

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          Tuesday 7 October

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          Max wind speed: 8.0 km/h

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

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