13/22.- Wallonia: Canal du Centre: Strepy Hydraulic Boat Lift

The Canal du Centre was dug in the late 19th century to allow industrial boat traffic between the Meuse and the Scheldt rivers, thus to create a direct connection between Germany and France. A whole string of locks was built to allow ships to cross the differences in level. The cast-iron structure shown here is characteristic of the technological achievements of the time. Two basins mounted on pistons act as counterweight to each other and thus, one boat rises as another one descends.

[Next »]