A lovely place in Sluis... the canal!
Will the canal be one of the most photographed spots in Sluis? We owe this beautiful place to the French Emperor Napoleon. The Napoleon Canal is also called "De Damse Vaart". The canal was dug by Spanish prisoners of war between 1812 and 1814 on behalf of Napoleon. Napoleon wanted to connect Bruges and Breskens with the Westerschelde. Due to Napoleon's defeat, the canal was only dug as far as the town of Sluis. The canal was opened in 1858, from then on there was shipping in Sluis until 1940 when the siphons were blown up by French troops and shipping was no longer possible. The siphons have not been restored.
Now the Damse Vaart is only used for recreational purposes, such as fishing, swimming competitions and pedal boats.
Shortly after 1854 a barge connection between Sluis and Bruges was established. The drive to Sluis can take up to 3 hours. The Flemish barges (like the restaurants today) had a good reputation when it came to food. In about 1750, a traveler boarded and ate three dishes, including marinated herring, roast leg of mutton, braised veal, cheese, nuts, and fruit tart. He told his boss two stuivers for the voyage and one gulden and ten stuivers "because of digestion on board". A steamboat service was established around 1865.