Strépy-Thieu boat lift

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Aerial view of the boat lift
The building
View of the facility from the water

The Strépy-Thieu electromechanical boat lift at km 11.466 on the Canal du Center has been used since 2002 to negotiate the height difference between the Mons region and the North Sea , replacing the neighboring lift with its four hydraulic lifts . It is considered one of the largest ship lifts in the world.

history

Belgium has been expanding its inland waterways since the 1950s . From 1982 the Strépy-Thieu boat lift was planned and built, which helps to overcome a height difference of more than 70 m on a canal parallel to the old Canal du Center.

It was supposed to open in the second half of the 1990s; in fact, however, the opening did not take place until 2002.

The ship lift was named after the districts of the two neighboring towns of La Louvière (Strépy-Bracquegnies) and Le Roeulx (Thieu).

Structure and use

The elevator made of reinforced concrete is about 81 m wide, 130 m long and 117 m high. The ships are carried up and down in two troughs that can hold 1,350 tons of heavy watercraft. It overcomes a height difference of 73 meters. The troughs have a length of 112 m, a width of 12 m and a water depth of 3.35 to 4.15 m. Around 20 ships use the elevator every day. In Wallonia , goods traffic by water increased by 40% between 1995 and 2000. It was hoped that the construction of the modern elevator would make the region economically attractive, both through the establishment of new businesses and through international traffic.

tourism

Apart from its practical importance for shipping, the Strépy-Thieu boat lift is also a magnet for tourists in the Hainaut region . The old ship lifts can be viewed from a boat, and there are also guided tours of the entire facility.

Web links

Commons : Strépy-Thieu boat lift  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wallonie-Bruxelles Tourisme (WBT asbl): Strepy-Thieu boat lift. In: Wallonie-Bruxelles Tourisme (WBT asbl). Retrieved October 28, 2016 .
  2. ↑ http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2848054,00.html
  3. ↑ http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/projects/stories/details.cfm?pay=BE&the=1&sto=468&lan=4®ion=ALL&obj=ALL&per=1&defL=EN
  4. ↑ http://voiesdeau.hainaut.be/tourisme/voiesdeauhainaut/fr/template/template.asp?page=strepy&navcont=5,0,0

Coordinates: 50 ° 28 '42 "  N , 4 ° 6' 35"  E