Maison du Tourisme du Roman Païs
rue de Saintes, 48 - 1400 Nivelles - Belgique
Tél : + 32 (0) 67 22 04 44 Fax : +32 (0) 67 21 98 88
e-mail : info@tourisme-roman-pais.be
rue de Saintes, 48 - 1400 Nivelles - Belgique
Tél : + 32 (0) 67 22 04 44 Fax : +32 (0) 67 21 98 88
e-mail : info@tourisme-roman-pais.be
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"Elevated to" the lock with the second greatest drop in Belgium, lock 5F of Ittre, an access door to the inclined plane of Ronquières and to the old hydraulic lifts, a Unesco tangible heritage site, offers visitors its page of history, but also a rather full assortment of outdoor and sporting activities.  The canal from Charleroi to Brussels, opened in 1832, is the result of a long history going back to the 16th century during the reign of Philip II. The idea of connecting the basin of the Meuse to that of the Schelde by a navigable canal starting from Brussels originated in this era. The essential aim of the initiators was to open up Hainaut and thus to promote the economic boom of the capital by serving the coal mines as well as possible. Today, the canal is a gateway to France, Holland and Germany.While it is true that lock 5F in Ittre, with the inclined plane of Ronquières and the present Charleroi canal upstream, have allowed passage of 1350 tonne barges since 1968, it nonetheless retains the vestiges of the former disused 70-tonne canal and the second 300-tonne canal. A testimony to the past, they have been preserved from being filled in and the locks have kept – through nostalgia?- the suffix F that was affixed to distinguish them from those already in use at the time. As a follow-up to this short history, it is interesting to note that the significant movements of water and the subsequent waves caused by the various locks have been attenuated by development of expansions upstream and downstream of the lock. And it is right in the expansion upstream that the Ittre marina has been housed, bringing with it a whole range of activities, from a number of aquatic sports to more peaceful walks in a pastoral environment. And that’s not all… lock F5 also houses the Royal Marine Cadet Corps, an association sponsored by the Belgian Department of Defence. In this auspicious environment for nautical sport, young people, supervised by civilian and military volunteers, receive training focussed mainly on nautical, but also land-based, activities. The port is accessible year-round. |
