History
After the resurrection of The Netherlands in 1813 and during the start of the Industrial Revolution, the city fathers of Eindhoven felt a need to connect the city to the existing waterways. This implied the need for a new canal, due to the distance to the Zuid-Willemsvaart. The Belgian Revolution delayed the construction of this canal, but a permit for a canal was issued in 1843. The permit was for a canal that crossed the Kleine Dommel and the Goorloop, which necessitated the construction of ducts for those streams. In addition to those ducts ten wooden bridges were constructed, high enough to let boats pass underneath. Finally, a winding hole was laid in Tongelre and a sluice was installed at the canal mouth in the Zuid-Willemsvaart. The completed canal was opened for use in 1846.
The main use of the canal was in the transport of heavy goods: machinery for the industry as well as bulk cargoes of charcoal and rough wool, plus wood for the matchmaking and cigarbox factories. Later on a steam connection to Rotterdam was added, with the first steam boat traversing the canal in 1862. This brought new industry to Eindhoven around the harbor, such as the old Eindhoven gas works. This in turn inspired more infrastructure, including a tram bridge near Mierlo (the foundations of which are still visible).
The Eindhoven Canal was widened and modernized between 1929 and 1934. After World War II the internal shipping of the country (including to Eindhoven) temporarily rebounded. But the rise of motorized road transport soon and permanently killed it off again and the canal was closed to commercial shipping in 1974. There were plans for a while to drain the canal and lay a motorway on its bed, but those plans were canceled in the failing economy of the times. The canal is currently a quiet nature area for recreational use and is part of the Ecological Mainline.
Eindhoven is the fifth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country. It had a population of 231,469 in 2019, making it the largest city in the province of North Brabant. Eindhoven was originally located at the confluence of the Dommel and Gender.
's-Hertogenbosch, German: Herzogenbusch, colloquially known as Den Bosch, is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 152,968. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant.
The Zuid-Willemsvaart is a canal in the south of the Netherlands and the east of Belgium.
Helmond is a municipality and a city in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the province of North Brabant in the southern Netherlands.
Zuid-Beveland is part of the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands north of the Western Scheldt and south of the Eastern Scheldt.
The Dommel is a small river in Belgium and the Netherlands, left tributary of the Dieze. It is 120 km long, of which 85 km in the Netherlands. The Dommel takes in water from the Keersop, Tongelreep, Run, Gender and Kleine Dommel streams and merges at 's-Hertogenbosch with the Aa stream to form the river Dieze, which subsequently flows towards the Meuse. The main cities and towns along the Dommel's course are Peer, Neerpelt, Valkenswaard, Dommelen, Eindhoven, Son en Breugel, Sint-Oedenrode, Boxtel, Sint-Michielsgestel and 's-Hertogenbosch.
The Welland Recreational Waterway is a water channel in the city of Welland, Ontario, Canada. It is an old alignment of the Welland Ship Canal that has been abandoned after the construction of the Welland By-Pass in the 1970s. The Waterway is now managed by the Welland Recreational Canal Corporation to provide enjoyment for the city's residents. Most local residents refer to it as the old canal or simply the canal.
Tongelre is a borough of Eindhoven. It used to be a separate village to the east of Eindhoven. Waterways comprise most of its borders. It is bordered to the south by a canal, the "Eindhovensch Kanaal" to the borough of Stratum and Geldrop municipality. In the northwest the border with Woensel borough is formed by the river "Dommel" and to the east by the river "Kleine Dommel" towards Nuenen municipality.
Beek en Donk is a town in the province North Brabant, Netherlands. There are 10,028 inhabitants. The spoken language is Peellands.
The Aa is a small river in the Netherlands. It rises near Nederweert in the southeastern province of Limburg, in the Peel region. It flows northwest through the province of North Brabant towards 's-Hertogenbosch, roughly along the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. In 's-Hertogenbosch, at the confluence of the Aa and the Dommel, the river Dieze is formed, which flows into the Meuse a few km further. The main cities and towns along the Aa's course are Asten, Helmond, Veghel and 's-Hertogenbosch.
The Dieze is a short river in North Brabant, the Netherlands, tributary of the Meuse. It is formed by the confluence of the rivers Aa and Dommel in 's-Hertogenbosch. The part of the Dieze in the centre of 's-Hertogenbosch is called Binnendieze, a partly covered network of canals. The Dieze flows into the Meuse near Hedel.
Binnendieze is the common name for all rivers and canals inside the city walls of 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. It is a major tourist attraction. Near the north-west tip of the city walls, the confluence of the Binnendieze with the rivers Aa and Dommel forms the short river Dieze, tributary of the Meuse.
The Twentekanaal is a canal running through the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel, connecting the three largest cities of the Twente region, Almelo, Hengelo and Enschede to the national network of rivers and canals. Because the canal forks to reach Almelo, the canal is officially plural, which is Twentekanalen.
The Strabrechtse Heide is a natural heathland area about 1500 ha in size, located in the municipalities of Heeze-Leende, Someren and Geldrop-Mierlo, in North Brabant, the Netherlands. It is largely under the care of Staatsbosbeheer. In July 2010, around 200 hectares of the area were damaged or destroyed in a wildfire that took over a week to put out.
The Watermill at Opwetten is a watermill along the river Kleine Dommel, located on the Opwettenseweg 203 in Opwetten, Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten, in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands. First mentioned in the 11th century, the watermill burned down and was rebuilt in 1764.
The Bocholt–Herentals Canal is a canal in Belgium that links the Zuid-Willemsvaart at Bocholt with the Albert Canal in Herentals, with a length of slightly over 60 kilometres. It is one of the seven canals linking the rivers Meuse and Scheldt.
The Máxima Canal dates from 2014 and runs from the Zuid-Willemsvaart near Den Dungen to the Meuse near Gewande.
Sluis 0 is a lock in the Zuid-Willemsvaart, in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. It is a large lock that will be made much smaller in the 2020s.
The Drongelens Canal is a drainage canal that runs from 's-Hertogenbosch to Drongelen in North Brabant. The colloquial Dutch name, and the name used on street signs is Drongelens Kanaal. The official Dutch name is Afwateringskanaal van 's-Hertogenbosch naar Drongelen.
The Dieze Bridge is a bridge for road traffic. It spans the rivers Dieze and Aa, just north of 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The Dieze Railway bridge is somewhat further downstream.
