Beatrix Canal
The Beatrix Canal is a side canal in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant . It connects the Wilhelminakanal with the industrial and commercial area De Hurk in the south of the city of Eindhoven . The Beatrix Canal has a length of 8.4 km and can be navigated by ships with a length of up to 63 m, a width of up to 7.20 m and a draft of up to 1.90 m.
The first work on the construction of the Beatrix Canal began on July 15, 1930. Most of the canal was completed in 1933, but then the work was interrupted for lack of money. In the course of job creation measures in 1937, financial resources were released so that the canal could still be completed. Originally the opening by Prince Bernhard should take place in the spring of 1940. After this was postponed, an opening was initially made impossible after the invasion of the German armed forces on May 11, 1940 and the demolition of four bridges . After the necessary clean-up work, the canal was put into operation in early August 1940 without any major ceremony.
During the Allied Operation Market Garden in September 1944, the bridges over the Beatrix Canal were blown up by German troops, and some ships were also sunk in the canal. The Wilhelmina Canal, and with it the Beatrix Canal, emptied. It was not until 1946 that the canal could be returned to shipping.