The Wilhelmina Canal is a canal in North-Brabant , Netherlands . It connects Tilburg to the Meuse, and continues to the east to connect to the Zuid-Willemsvaart north of Helmond .
100-690: The Wilhelmina Canal runs from the Zuid-Willemsvaart in Laarbeek to the Amer (Meuse) just west of Geertruidenberg and is 68 kilometers long. The section from Geertruidenberg southward to Lock I in Oosterhout is suitable for ships of up to 135 * 11.5 * 3 m ( CEMT class Va). The section from Lock I in Oosterhout to Lock II at the western border of Tilburg is suitable for CEMT IV limited to 90 * 9.60 * 2.70 m. East of Lock II Tilburg,
200-568: A textile manufacturing industry was developed. In Veghel the harbor attracted several industries. In Weert many fir were planted after transport to Maastricht and Liège became feasible. In many villages of North-Brabant it also became profitable to rear cattle for customers outside the province. One of the first activities on the canal was a regular service for passengers and freight between 's-Hertogenbosch and Maastricht. The journey took two days, with an overnight stay in Weert. The secession of
300-538: A canal from the Zuid-Willemsvaart to Tilburg. It was to start between locks 5 and 6 or 6 and 7, and to take its course along Sint-Oedenrode , Liempde , Moergestel and Oisterwijk to Tilburg. It could easily transport a lot of water for use by the emerging Tilburg industry. A facility would have to be made to discharge this water towards the Meuse. The plan took into account that making a canal from Tilburg to
400-464: A cargo capacity of 600 tons, of which only 450 tons could be used due to the depth restrictions of the canal. The size limits of the canal only became problematic after World War II. In 1960 the average cargo capacity of ships on the canal was 190 ton. By 1974 this average was 325 tons. Details at Sluis 0 showed that by this time vessels of up to 200 tons were becoming obsolete. From 1968 to 1975 their number at Sluis 0 decreased by two-thirds. In 1982
500-528: A commission for construction of the Tilburg canal made a report. It could not make a specific plan, because the municipalities along the canal were not prepared to give enough funding. In 1876 the commission sent in a report for a small canal from the Zuid-Willemsvaart to Tilburg, which would cost 750,000 guilders. In July 1876 a decision was postponed, and in July 1877, the provincial government refused to contribute
600-416: A further increase were the number and size of the original locks, and the small width (profile) of the canal. In 1975 the idea was that after modernization, the average size of vessels would double in twenty years. Transport speed would be increased by replacing the many old locks with a limited number of large modern locks. All this would lower transport cost, and again make the Zuid-Willemsvaart suitable as
700-402: A lock stair and bayonet lock. East of the new Lock III, a facility would be built where ships of Class IV could turnabout. The economy of scale would make water transport cheaper, travel time on the canal would decrease by 30 minutes, and the ultimate goal was to remove trucks from the roads. Work started in 2013, and was expected to be finished in 2016. Sluis III was built according to plan, and
800-594: A new canal for large ocean-going ships from Rotterdam to the North Sea. Hydraulic engineer Pieter Caland was commissioned to design a canal cutting through the "Hook of Holland” and to extend the Mouth of Rhine to the sea. The designs for this were already done back in 1731 by Nicolaas Samuelsz Cruquius but the implementation could no longer be postponed to prevent the decline of the harbour of Rotterdam. Construction began on 31 October 1863. The first phase consisted of
900-455: A new course for the canal east of Helmond. The detour was about as long as the previous course, and though it was planned to start north of lock 9, in the end it would start south of it. The Helmond detour would be constructed first. It would lead to the strange situation that for many years the Helmond detour was the widest part of the canal, but was unreachable for larger vessels. The logic
1000-598: A particular challenge. It was dug upstream to a place without surface water. The water would therefore have to be pumped upstream. In December 1913 the (since replaced) double lock "Lock I" south of the Koningsdijk was tendered. Construction of Lock I started in April 1914. Later in April 1914, construction of the section between Lock I and the Voldijk, about 5 km east of Dongen was tendered. On 12 March 1917 this section
1100-420: A point on the road between Someren and Asten . On 19 March 1823 digging this stretch was offered in two lots, and was tendered together with three locks on the already dug out stretch between Veghel and Helmond, and the drawbridges and culverts on that stretch. Also in 1823, a third part was tendered on 25 March. It was tendered in two lots and consisted of the already present waterway below Smeermaas , through
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#17327723738071200-640: A provincial task. The discussion centered on whether the canal was a local interest, or a national interest. In the senate Jacob van den Biesen noted that the government thought projects like the Nieuwe Waterweg (25 million), the North Sea Canal (12.5 million), and the Nieuwe Merwede (20.5 million) to be of national interest, but that the result was that North Brabant had to pay for these, but got nothing in return, not even 2 million for
1300-406: A shortcut of the Meuse. In Helmond the canal had been dug just west of the town's center. In 1957 20,000 vessels passed Sluis 7 (Lock 7) and the center of Helmond. By 1960, motorized road traffic had quadrupled in ten years. It caused chaos near the bridges over the canal. These had to be opened often, and were anyhow unsuitable for the increased traffic. Rijkswaterstaat then made a plan to create
1400-462: A single lock, Sluis Helmond (Lock Helmond). Also the many crossings over the new section could be constructed so high that they would not have to be opened to allow ships to pass. All this would save much time for ships, and make transport over water more competitive. Work on the Helmond detour started on 11 December 1981. By 1986 the overall project to upgrade the Zuid-Willemsvaart was delayed by financial difficulties, and budget overruns on e.g.
1500-421: A splendid dinner the company arrived back in the basin of Maastricht near 8 o'clock in the evening. Meanwhile, many festivities for the population had taken place. At 10 o'clock in the evening the ball for the upper class started. It featured loaded tables, and continued until the early morning. The canal created new possibilities for development of the poor towns on the sandy grounds of North Brabant. In Helmond
1600-493: A tiny fraction continued further upstream with cargo. At Sluis 0 downstream cargo had decreased from about 5,000 vessels in 1960 to only a few hundred loaded vessels in 1974. At Sluis 13 the reverse was true. Here almost all vessels heading north were loaded. Most went to the Wilhelmina Canal and only some to Veghel. At Sluis 13 most of the upstream vessels were empty. The overview showed that not many ships travelled
1700-764: Is a ship canal in the Netherlands from het Scheur (a branch of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta ) west of the town of Maassluis to the North Sea at Hook of Holland : the Maasmond , where the Nieuwe Waterweg connects to the Maasgeul . It is the artificial mouth of the river Rhine. The Nieuwe Waterweg, which opened in 1872 and has a length of approximately 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi),
1800-625: Is justified. "South" was added to avoid confusion with two other canals commissioned by and named after the king: the Willemskanaal near Zwolle and the Noord-Willemskanaal in Groningen province. The naming happened on 11 November 1822, when the first stone of the constructions on the canal (locks, bridges etc.) was laid in 's-Hertogenbosch at Lock 1 Sluis 1 . This was done by the governor of Limburg. The first part of
1900-478: Is this channel, together with the dredged channels in the North Sea, Maasgeul and Eurogeul , that allows ships like the MS Berge Stahl and MV Vale Rio de Janeiro (both with a draught of 23 meters) to enter Europoort . The Dutch government agency Rijkswaterstaat is responsible for maintaining the channel. The point where the Nieuwe Waterweg enters into the North Sea, between Hook of Holland on
2000-617: The Aa , the stream bed of which is closely followed by the Zuid-Willemsvaart for most of its route. The geographical proximity to the Aa indicates a relation between these older plans and the construction of the Zuid-Willemsvaart, but the relation is only in the suitability of the drainage basin of the Aa for digging most of the Zuid-Willemsvaart. When the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
2100-581: The Amertak was opened in 1993. It runs from Statendam to the Amer, and replaced the Donge route. By 1986 the Zuid-Willemsvaart and Wilhelmina Canal south of Oosterhout were in bad shape. The province noted that only ships of up to 600 tons could use the canals, and these could only be loaded to half capacity. The province therefore urged that these canals would be upgraded for ships of 1,350 tons. In November 2007
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#17327723738072200-612: The Campine Canals and the Wilhelmina Canal . On its 122 km route it passes cities like Maastricht , Maasmechelen , Bree , Weert , Helmond , and 's-Hertogenbosch . Nowadays most commercial shipping activity on the canal is local. Previous to the construction of the Zuid-Willemsvaart, there were many plans for making a canal from 's-Hertogenbosch towards the Belgian border. Most of these centered on canalizing
2300-580: The Donge to the Koningsdijk in Oosterhout, and included dredging the Donge. The lowest bid was by H.G. den Hartog from The Hague for 258,900 guilders. In mid March 1910 the workers were constructing sheds. They would start digging in April. In October 1910 Den Hartog also got the order to construct a quay Los- en Laadplaats , just north of where the Mark Canal was. This is still in use. On 15 May 1912
2400-456: The Ministry of Transport and Water Management , North Brabant province and Tilburg municipality signed an agreement. The objective was to make the canal up to Tilburg suitable for ships of CEMT class IV. In order to achieve the objective, the canal level would be raised, Lock II would be demolished, and a new Lock would be built next to Lock III, because Lock III is a listed construction as
2500-571: The Oosterscheldekering . However, the detour was still planned to be finished in 1993. By 1988, while about 100 of the 160 million guilder cost had already been spent, the government wanted to delay the opening until 1995. In 1990 construction of the Helmond Lock started. In the end, the detour was opened on 11 December 1993. By 1988 the overall maintenance situation of the canal was problematic. Locks 2 until 13 still dated from
2600-476: The Oude Maasje (Meuse) was much more costly, because of the greater difference in height. However, this could be done at a later time. In July 1869 the provincial government allowed 1,500 guilders to investigate a plan for a canal from the Zuid-Willemsvaart over Tilburg to Dongen or 's Gravenmoer . This was a plan by the then chief engineer, but the investigation was to include Van de Griendt's plan. In 1873
2700-655: The draft of today's supertankers , it needs to be dredged constantly. In 1997, the last part of the Delta Works , the Maeslantkering , was put in operation near the mouth of the Nieuwe Waterweg. This storm surge barrier protects Rotterdam against north westerly Beaufort Force 10 to 12 storms. The Nieuwe Waterweg gives the Port of Rotterdam its deep-water access to the North Sea. From Hook of Holland it stretches for approximately 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi) where
2800-490: The 250,000 guilders needed as her contribution to the canal. In 1876 the provincial Waterstaat of North Brabant began to operate. F.C. Bake from the Staatsspoorwegen became its head and chief engineer. In April 1878 Bake and the municipalities of Breda, Tilburg and Oosterhout were planning a canal from Eindhoven via Tilburg to the Amer. This was the first plan that resembled the current Wilhelmina Canal. In 1889
2900-414: The Amer becoming more navigable in the meantime. The plan was signed by engineer Schevichaven. A letter by chief engineer Bake was attached to the plan. The estimated cost for the plan was 4,512,000 guilders. The plan came to nothing, primarily because the national government did not want to execute it. The province thought it too risky to do it on her own, also because the maintenance would then also become
3000-545: The Beatrix Canal conditions are better again. In recent years improvements have been made to the connection from the Beatrix Canal to the Zuid-Willemsvaart, so that long combinations, and eventually CEMT IV ships can use this section. Here maximum ship dimensions are 110 * 6.70 * 3 m. Whatever the eventual form of the canal, the primary reason to dig it was to connect Tilburg to the Dutch system of inland waterways. By
3100-452: The Caberg to the fortress of Maastricht. In 1824 a fourth, fifth and sixth part were tendered. The fourth part stretched from the road between Someren and Asten to the provincial boundary between North Brabant and Limburg. It was tendered on 25 February 1824, together with 6 locks between Helmond and the provincial boundary as well as a drawbridge and culverts. On 2 March 1824 the fifth part
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3200-768: The Heersdijk and the Beerse Heide (east of Haghorst) was tendered. On 24 July 1918 the section from the Emmerseweg in Haghorst (location of Lock IV) till Nieuwe Leij in Tilburg was tendered together with final section from the Meuse till Tilburg. On 1 July 1921 the section from the Zuid-Willemsvaart to the quay in Lieshout was opened. On 9 January 1922 the section from Lieshout till the Double-beam drawbridge in
3300-454: The Helmond detour, locks 10 - 13 were replaced earlier. The replacement of Lock 11 and Lock 13 by longer locks was finished in 2003. Locks 10 and 12 were replaced in 2007. The section of the canal which ran through the city center of 's-Hertogenbosch posed a serious problem for the plans to upgrade the canal. It was situated in an area with very much street traffic, and was surrounded by buildings on both sides. There were three options: Widening
3400-479: The House of Representatives this was unacceptable. Local companies had already invested about 10 million guilders to improve their facilities in anticipation of the widening, and 30 million had already been granted for Schijndel Lock from an environmental budget. Their actions proved effective. In the second half of 1990 construction of Schijndel Lock was underway. Schijndel Lock was taken into use in 1995. Even while
3500-613: The Kwadeweg at the hamlet Stad van Gerwen was opened. On 22 May 1922 the section from this bridge till a like bridge south of Breugel was opened. On 4 April 1923 the last sections of the Wilhelmina Canal were opened. In 1925 the canal started at the Donge in Statendam, 5 km from the Donge's confluence with the Amer . Stretching along Oosterhout and Tilburg it reached the Zuid-Willemsvaart 4 km north of Helmond. Locks I to V divided it in six pounds or levels. The lowest pound
3600-413: The Meuse were given by the manager of the mines of SA John Cockerill . He gave an example of shipping between Liège and Venlo over the Meuse. A Meuse ship Maasschip had an empty draught of 23 cm, and had a cargo space of about 150-160 ton ( tonnage ). This meant that it could load about 100 wagonloads of coal. With 100 wagonloads of coal on board, the Meuse ship had a draught of 110–120 cm. If
3700-404: The Nieuwe Waterweg. By the middle of the 19th century, Rotterdam was already one of the largest port cities in the world, mainly because of transshipment of goods from Germany to Great Britain. The increase in shipping traffic created a capacity problem: there were too many branches in the river delta, making the port difficult to reach. In 1863, a law was passed that allowed for the provision of
3800-462: The Piushaven, and made a small demonstration with some rowing boats. In August 1925 there was a 1,500 m swimming event finishing at the harbor, and a water polo match. Rowing matches soon followed. The canal was also important for long distance skating in the area. Speelland Beekse Bergen and Safaripark Beekse Bergen were created in the 1960s. Their origin lies in the sand extraction in
3900-438: The Wilhelmina Canal increased. In 1929 almost 2,000,000 tons passed Lock I. Passage at Lock V increased to about 1,000,000 tons, compared to a slight decrease at Lock 13. In 1936 1,162,000 tons passed Lock I, and 545,000 passed lock V, compared to 2,406,00 tons at Sluis 0 and 2,169,000 tons at lock 13. In 1960 the harbor master of Tilburg put passage on the Wilhelmina Canal at 10,000 ships and over 2,000,000 tons. He thought that
4000-496: The Zuid-Willemsvaart makes a 90 degree turn to the southwest. During construction, lock 14 and lock 15, north of the junction were demolished. A new Lock 15 was built just west of the junction, and a lock was built at the western end of the Noordervaart. The new lock 15 bridged a rise of 4.85 m. Lock 16, southwest of Weert was renovated. Both locks got an increased passage width of 7.50 m instead of 7 m. The cill of
4100-462: The almost complete Mark Canal got the order. On 2 December 1914 Lock II (near the Voldijk) and the double lock Lock III were tendered, together with digging a projected stretch of the canal in Tilburg municipality. The contract was won bij J.P. Broekhoven from Hengelo for 1,038,000 guilders. The tendered section of the canal was probably that which was between the two locks, or the section stretching to
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4200-541: The area. The little lake at the center of the recreational area is in direct connection to the Wilhelmina Canal. Just north of the Beekse Bergen, a section of the canal was widened to create the Watersportbaan Tilburg . This is the second Dutch especially created water for rowing regattas. By 1982 only a couple of ships a week entered the Piushaven in Tilburg. This started a discussion about using
4300-413: The blunder could have happened was started. To make matters worse, construction of the new Lock II was prohibited due to the nitrogen crisis . On 20 April 2022, construction of the new Lock II was postponed until further notice. The Wilhelmina Canal was very important for the development of water sports in Tilburg. In April 1925 the new Tilburgse Watersportvereniging Wilhelmina opened her Pavilion at
4400-473: The bottom of the canal. The plan for the locks foresaw a lock with a double set of gates near the Zuid-Willemsvaart, to this lock could also operate if the level of the Zuid-Willemsvaart was lower. Regular locks would lift 2.5 m. Two double (sequential) locks would lift 5 m. A significant change from the 1877 plan was that the canal would end at Oosterhout instead of at the Moerdijk. This had to do with
4500-421: The canal by the national government. In November 1904 a law to construct the canal was sent to the House of Representatives, but it soon became clear that this law would only lead to actual construction of the canal if funding became available. The people of North-Brabant thought that they had been fooled by the minister. On 11 May 1905 the law for the canal was approved by the House of Representatives. In spite of
4600-523: The canal did not lead to the expected benefits. By 1925 the Wilhelmina Canal and Mark Canal both had about 10,000 ships of about 1,000,000 tons capacity passing their locks at Oosterhout. About 7,000 ships of 825,000 tons passed Lock III, and probably continued to Tilburg. At Lock V only 2,400 ships of 306,000 tons passed. This could be compared to the traffic at Sluis 0 and Lock 13 at the Zuid-Willemsvaart. Sluis 0 had 21,000 ships of 4,000,000 tons and Lock 13 12,250 ships of 3,300,000 tons. In time business on
4700-425: The canal from there till the Amer for ships of more than 1,000 tons. The new lock that replaced the old Lock I was built west of it, on a new section of the canal, just west of where the eastern lock of the Mark Canal used to be. A replacement for the old lock at the end of the Mark Canal was built about 500 m to the northwest. In Spring 1977 these works were officially opened for shipping. After these improvements,
4800-548: The canal just below Helmond. In the 1850s irrigation works in the Belgian Campine and surroundings dramatically increased the flow of water to the Zuid-Willemsvaart. This led to the water actually flowing over the lock doors of the canal. In the 1920s the Wessem-Nederweert Canal was constructed. It starts at the Meuse near Wessem, and connects to the Zuid-Willemsvaart just south of Nederweert, where
4900-470: The canal section from the Zuid-Willemsvaart till the Breugelsche Beek (just east of Son ) was tendered. In June 1917 the section from the Breugelsche Beek till the eastern border of the municipality of Best was tendered. In October 1917, the connecting section from the eastern border of Best till the Heersdijk (just east of Oorschot) was tendered. In December 1917 the connecting section between
5000-472: The canal still has it old dimensions. The section of from Tilburg to the Beatrix Canal , is suitable for ships of up to 650 tons capacity (CEMT II), but is only 2.30 m deep on average, and even only 1.90 m deep at some point. Therefore, CEMT II ships on this section are not fully loaded and maximum dimensions are 63 * 7.20 * 1.90 m. Here average width of the canal is 25–30 m. East of
5100-426: The canal that was constructed, was the part from 's-Hertogenbosch to Veghel, and from there to Helmond. This part was tendered on 10 April 1822. The digging was offered in six lots. Between 's-Hertogenbosch and Veghel it was to have three or four locks and a number of drawbridges and culverts . In November 1822 the construction of Lock 1 in 's-Hertogenbosch was started (cf. above). The second part ran from Helmond to
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#17327723738075200-404: The canal up to Veghel. In 2014 the situation south of Veghel was that Lock 4, 5 and 6 were suitable for CEMT class IV, but the canal itself was not. Now a different solution came up, which consisted of up to 110 m long combinations. One was the pusher (boat) with two inline barges before it. The other the koppelverband of two class II ships, which could transport 900 tons, instead of
5300-411: The canal was made by collecting shipping data of Sluis 0 in 's-Hertogenbosch, and of Sluis 13, somewhat south of Someren , near Limburg. Overall, it showed that from 1960 to 1974 the number of ships had decreased, while the total amount of cargo had remained the same. At Sluis 0, almost all upstream vessels were loaded. By 1974 the vast majority unloaded at Veghel, some continued to Helmond, and only
5400-495: The canal, but could not sail the Meuse upwards of Venlo. However, it is reasonable to suppose that in time, shipping lines designed ships that could take maximum advantage of the canal. In 1858 a statement about shipping on the canal said that two-thirds of the ships on the canal were smaller than 130-150 ton, and were drawn by one horse. One third was larger than 150 ton, and was mostly drawn by two horses. Finally, there were 5 or 6 ships of 300-400 ton, drawn by three horses. Perhaps
5500-496: The canal. A passing ship was reported to have lost an hour using the lock, because its skipper had to be so careful. In October 1982 the government decided to widen the Zuid-Willemsvaart up to NederWeert, the Wessem Nederweert Canal, and the Wilhelmina Canal between Son and Tilburg to CEMT class IV. A 1985 plan to realize this gave priority to the replacement of Locks 2 and 3 by a new lock near Schijndel. This
5600-401: The canal. That year, 3,394 ships offloaded 605,033 tons in Tilburg. Of this, sand amounted to 238,518 ton, gravel amounted to 146,158. Other goods were ammunition, lime , gasoline , timber , fodder , fuel oil . tarmacadam , trees, brick, fertilizer, etc. Only 74 ships loaded goods in Tilburg. In 1962 a plan was made to replace Lock I and the eastern lock of the Mark Canal, and to upgrade
5700-446: The canal. Van den Biesen then suggested that he might take a principal stand, and vote against all other projects if Brabant got nothing. The name Wilhelmina Canal dates at least to April 1901. In 1903 Minister Johannes Christiaan de Marez Oyens made some changes to the plan, leading to a significant increase in cost. On 9 February 1904 the provincial government of North Brabant voted to contribute 2.5 million guilders to construction of
5800-462: The cargo capacity of the Meuse ship of the example at about 80,000 kg, or 80 tonnes (100*800). The example ship is in line with the statement that ships on the Meuse measured 40-200 ton with a draught of 94–188 cm, with the biggest rarely sailing further upstream than Venlo. An example that shows the importance of transport cost for coal, dates from 1862. In Gent 1,000 kg of Belgian coal then cost 24 francs including transport. Ruhr coal
5900-615: The city center. On 24 July 1918 construction of two sections was tendered. The first was that between the Tilburg-Loon op Zand road and the Nieuwe Leij, and included a side canal towards Tilburg proper. The other section stretched to Haghorst . The side canal would lead to Tilburg's inland harbor Piushaven. The plan for a harbor, housing and industry near the Pius park and street was approved in April 1920. It seems that celebrations for
6000-405: The city. A flood lock was planned on the eastern city walls. It had the peculiar characteristic of being mainly planned to cause or maintain a flood, instead of preventing it. However, the technique was the same as that of a flood lock. It was also a double flood lock, and therefore it could be used to lift ships, which came in handy if it caused or maintained a flood. However, in normal circumstances
6100-436: The construction time of the canal, and looked extremely bad. Most of the lock chambers were kept together by metal sheeting to diminish the risk of collapse. A risk analysis showed increased wear and tear of the locks, and more collisions, because ships had become so much larger and used ever stronger engines. The situation was most serious at Lock 3, just east of where the current road between Schijndel and Heeswijk crosses
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#17327723738076200-406: The dimensions 65 * 15 m, with a passage width of 7.50 m. This was enough for two ships of 60 * 7 * 1.90 m and better than agreed upon with North-Brabant. In October 1913 construction of the Mark Canal itself was tendered for 734,400 guilders. On 4 October 1915 the Mark Canal was opened. Ships of 60 * 7 * 2.10 m were allowed on the canal. The section from Oosterhout to Dongen faced
6300-462: The disappropriation law for the canal was treated in the House of Representatives. Overall construction was slow. In 1911 there was a budget of 750,000 guilders. Of this sum 600,000 was spent on disappropriation, and only 75,000 were spent on construction. It led to another heated debate in The Hague. On 8 December 1909 construction of the first section of the canal was tendered. This stretched from
6400-421: The east came the staircase lock Lock III, which lifted to +12.5 m AOD. East of Tilburg was Lock IV in Haghorst, which lifted to +14.76 m AOD. Lock V only closed in exceptional circumstances. The passage width of the locks was 7.5 m, and they were 65 m long. The canal was 25 m wide at the surface. For the lowest pound this was 30 m. At the bottom width was 15 m and 16 m. Depth
6500-514: The end of the 18th century, Tilburg was the biggest town of the Meierij van 's-Hertogenbosch , but all transport to and from Tilburg took place over unpaved roads. In 1863 the Breda–Eindhoven railway connected Tilburg to Breda, and in 1865 to Eindhoven. At about that time the textile industry of Tilburg was booming, and used an enormous amount of coal. In April 1869 J. van de Griendt proposed
6600-617: The entire canal. Most of them went from the Meuse near 's-Hertogenbosch to Veghel or Helmond and then returned. A smaller amount came from the Meuse in Limburg, sailed to the Wilhelmina Canal, and then returned. Furthermore, not much cargo was loaded along the Zuid-Willemsvaart. As regards the future of transport on the canal, the conclusion was that Water transport had successfully maintained its position against increased competition by road transport . This had been done by increasing productivity, i.e. ship size and engine power. A clear limit to
6700-515: The existing section; digging a detour around the city; and upgrading the Wilhelmina Canal. The latter runs from the Meuse through Oosterhout and Tilburg to a point just north of Helmond, where it meets the northern end of the Helmond detour. In the end it was decided to dig a detour around 's-Hertogenbosch. Construction of the Máxima Canal started in 2007, and was completed in 2014. In the mid-nineteenth century some calculations for shipping on
6800-436: The expropriation of farm lands from Rozenburg to Hook of Holland . During the second phase two dikes were built parallel to each other, which took 2 years. Caland proposed to extend the dikes 2 km into the sea to disrupt the coastal sea currents and decrease silt deposits in the shipping lane. Upon the completion of the dikes, the third phase began by the digging of the actual waterway. This began on 31 October 1866 and
6900-563: The flood lock would be open, and therefore it was not in the numbered list of locks. When it later began to permanently function as a lock, it was named Sluis 0 , or Lock 0, because it was just downstream of Lock 1. The canal was opened in Maastricht on 24 August 1826. The opening was done by the governor of Limburg. After a speech, the dignitaries sailed down the canal to Smeermaas and disembarked near Hocht. They then continued to Pietersheim Manor ( Kasteel Pietersheim ) by carriage. After
7000-428: The floor and 18 m wide on the water level. Practical draught for ships would be 188 cm. On the first stretch between Maastricht and the lock at Hocht, this draught would later be only 157 cm in case of draught. The canal would have 19 locks. Each with a passage width of 7 m and a length of at least 50 m. In this perspective, the naming of the canal after King William I of the Netherlands on 11 November 1822
7100-487: The government decided to widen the Zuid-Willemsvaart up to NederWeert, and the connecting Wessem Nederweert Canal to CEMT class IV. Helmond Lock was opened in 1993, and Schijndel Lock was taken into use in 1995. Schijndel Lock has a lock chamber with useful dimensions of 110 * 12.50 m. Normal depth at the lower gate is 3.80 m. These first steps had little effect. Near the Meuse Engelen Lock limited
7200-497: The harbor as a marina . The Piushaven is now indeed a marina, with a limited number of places for historic vessels. Zuid-Willemsvaart The Zuid-Willemsvaart ( Dutch: [zœytˈʋɪləmsfaːrt] ; translated: South William's Canal ) is a canal in the south of the Netherlands and the east of Belgium . The Zuid-Willemsvaart is a canal in the provinces Limburg (Netherlands) , Limburg (Belgium) , and North Brabant . Several important canals are connected to it, e.g.
7300-492: The important section up to Veghel was getting upgraded to Class IV, plans for the central section between Veghel and Nederweert again came under discussion. in 1997 plans were made that would upgrade this section, which included the Helmond detour, to class III instead of class IV. In the end Sluis 4, 5 and 6 would get the same size lock chamber as Schijndel Lock, i.e. 110 * 12.6 m. Normal depth would be 3.5 m. Construction of these three locks started in 2008. Upstream of
7400-484: The length of ships to 90 m. In 's-Hertogenbosch Sluis 0 , still had the original passage width of only 6.8 m, and a depth of 2.1 m. For the moment, the advantage of these works was therefore limited to a substantial increase in allowed length, and a small increase in the allowed draft, of ships using the canal. The opening of the Máxima Canal in December 2014, actually allowed ships of CEMT class IV to use
7500-483: The locks was laid deeper, at 2.50 m below canal level. In 1964 there was more traffic on the Wessem-Nederweert Canal than on any part of the Zuid-Willemsvaart. Already in the early 1960s there were plans to upgrade the canal. There was no intention to execute these plans on short notice, but some aspects were determined in order to ease later implementation. In 1974 an overview of traffic on
7600-573: The maximum draft for ships on the canal should be increased to 2.20 or 2.30 m. Ships of 600 tons could then make better use of their capacity. He thought that there was nothing to indicate that an upgrade to accommodate ships of 1,500 tons was necessary. In 1963 1,930,000 tons passed Lock I, 1,387,000 tons passed Lock IV, and 2.286,000 tons passed lock V, compared to 3,211,000 tons at Sluis 0 and 4,827,000 tons at lock 13. That year both canals had been blocked by ice for about 70 days. Data from 1963 shows that most ships mainly transported bulk cargo on
7700-515: The need for canal was again discussed in the provincial government. The chief engineer of Waterstaat came up with a plan in June 1890. It had the same size as the Zuid-Willemsvaart, and would start there between locks 6 and 7. The description of the section east of Tilburg closely resembles the canal as it would later be built. There was also a variant in which the section between Tilburg and the Zuid-Willemsvaart would be narrower, i.e. only 6 m wide at
7800-401: The non-committal character of the law, the government started to delimit the future course of the canal in July 1906. Soon after, 500,000 guilders for the canal were added to the 1907 budget. By May 1907 a detailed map of the section in Tilburg was published. In these years a lot of time and money was spent on buying, and where necessary disappropriation, of grounds for the canal. In November 1908
7900-509: The opening of the harbor were included in those for the 25th anniversary of Queen Wilhelmina 's reign in August 1923. These included a gondola tour from the Quay at Lijnsheike to Piushaven. Construction of the section east of Tilburg started in the east, at the Zuid-Willemsvaart , because that is where the water was. On 29 April 1916 Lock V, just west of Lieshout was tendered. On 25 October 1916
8000-607: The previous 450 tons maximum. With only a few changes the canal up to the crossing with the Wilhelmina Canal was made suitable for these kind of ships. The same changes were applied westward to the Wilhelmina canal up to the Beatrix Canal, and to the Beatrix Canal itself. 50°52′N 5°41′E / 50.867°N 5.683°E / 50.867; 5.683 Nieuwe Waterweg 51°56′31″N 4°11′29″E / 51.94194°N 4.19139°E / 51.94194; 4.19139 The Nieuwe Waterweg ("New Waterway")
8100-536: The road from Tilburg to Loon op Zand. In late June 1915 D. van der Zee was appointed as extraordinary overseer for construction of the section from Lock III till that road. On 14 February 1919 the section between Dongen and the Tilburg quay at the Lijnschestraat (now IJsselstraat), east of Lock III was opened. The projected end point of the canal in Tilburg was the Piushaven (Pius Harbor) just south east of
8200-402: The section from the Donge to the Koningsdijk and its quay was opened. The Mark Canal, which connected Breda to the Meuse, came next. In 1911 there was a 310,000 guilders budget for the Mark Canal from Oosterhout to the river Mark . In October 1912 the (since replaced) lock at the eastern end of the Mark Canal, south of the Koningsdijk, was tendered. The government gave the lock at the Mark Canal
8300-492: The southern portion of the country in 1830 created an unexpected situation: the canal was closed for cross-border traffic. It led to a prolonged closure, but on 22 June 1839 the first barge with a Belgian flag arrived in Helmond from Liège. It was loaded with iron goods and roof shingles . In 1841 over 4,000 ships and barges passed the canal. In 1846 the Eindhovensch Kanaal was opened. It connected Eindhoven to
8400-434: The up to 150 ton ships were built to the old model, while the over 150 and over 300 ton ships had been built for use on the canal. Nothing much was done to modernize the canal after it had been constructed. Some changes were made to the locks, but their maximum passage width remained the same. In 1975 the canal was suitable for ships of CEMT class II, but with a maximum draft of only 1.90 m. This translated to ships with
8500-465: The water was only three feet deep, the ship could only carry 75 wagonloads. With 20 inch (57.5 cm) of water the ship could carry only 45 wagonloads. Therefore, a lower water level could raise the cargo price from 7.30 to 16.30 Belgian francs per wagonload. A wagonload of coal might be estimated at 800 kg. One wagonload contained 10-12 muds of coal. A mud of coal was 100 liter, weighing about 72 kg, so 11*72~800. This also allows to compute
8600-525: The waterway continues as the Nieuwe Maas . The very first Nieuwe Waterweg—a breach through the dunes at Hook of Holland—was only 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi) long, but in around 1877 the channel was made much larger and wider and the current Nieuwe Waterweg was created. Currently the width of the channel is between 480 and 675 metres (1,575 and 2,215 ft) and it is dredged to a depth of 14.5–16 metres (48–52 ft) below Amsterdam Ordnance Datum . It
8700-403: Was 2.30 m below canal level. For the tidal pound, this was -3 m AOD. It meant that the canal was suitable for 500 tons ships, the lowest pound for 700 tons ships. The entire Wilhelmina Canal was opened for shipping on 4 April 1923. The cost had risen from an estimated 7.5 million guilders to 24 million on completion. The opening of the canal did not lead to a boom in shipping. Overall,
8800-586: Was cheaper at 20 francs. It was bought for 6 francs at the Ruhr, and transported to Gent via the Rhine, Dordrecht and the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal for 13-14 francs. The maximum size of ships that could navigate the Zuid-Willemsvaart was said to be bigger than that of a Meuse ship. For some time this was probably a general statement, indicating that in normal circumstances, ships of 188 cm draught could use
8900-403: Was completed three years later. The large amounts of removed soil were in turn used to reinforce other dams and dikes. The last phase consisted of the removal of the dam separating the new waterway from the sea and river. In 1872, the Nieuwe Waterweg was completed and Rotterdam was easily accessible. Because of the currents and erosion, the shipping lane has been widened somewhat. Yet because of
9000-481: Was constructed to keep the city and port of Rotterdam accessible to seafaring vessels as the natural Meuse-Rhine branches silted up. The Waterway is a busy shipping route since it is the primary access to one of the busiest ports in the world, the Port of Rotterdam . At the entrance to the sea, a flood protection system called Maeslantkering has been installed (completed in 1997). There are no bridges or tunnels across
9100-419: Was difficult in all seasons. A canal that cut corners and went through a more flat terrain would be a far more reliable waterway. It would always have enough water and would allow easy transport upstream. On 23 February 1818 Inspector General A.F. Goudriaan got orders to design the canal from Maastricht to 's-Hertogenbosch. On 15 May 1819 he presented his design. It called for a canal of 2.1 m deep, 10 m wide at
9200-414: Was finished by 2017. A major problem was then discovered: the lower water level on the higher side of the canal pound would most probably lead a much lower groundwater level in the Tilburg district Reeshof . Houses could then start to sag. In December 2017 the governments then decided to rebuild Lock II instead of simply demolishing it. It was a blunder of about 70 million euros. An investigation of how
9300-454: Was founded in 1815, its commercial center was formed by the harbors in the west, but its industrial center was near Liège . Communication between the two over the Meuse was difficult until the funds to create a canal became available. The Zuid-Willemsvaart was planned as a shortcut of the river Meuse between the cities of Maastricht and 's-Hertogenbosch . It shortened the distance of shipping traffic from 233 km to 122 km, but that
9400-427: Was in open connection with the sea and tides . Its level varied from 1.14 m above Amsterdam Ordnance Datum (AOD) till 0.37 m below at ebb. In Oosterhout, Lock I was a staircase lock gekoppelde Schutsluis , basically two locks in line, which allowed to bridge the rise to the +5 m AOD level of the next pound. In Tilburg, Lock II was a regular lock that lifted to +7.5 m AOD. About four kilometers to
9500-401: Was motivated by the bad condition of all the old locks, and the severe damage that would result if the busy section between 's-Hertogenbosch and Veghel would be blocked by a failure of these locks. In 1986 the plan was postponed. In February 1990 minister Hanja Maij-Weggen planned to use the funding allotted for the canal to build the Maeslantkering instead. For North-Brabant province and
9600-482: Was not a primary goal of constructing the canal. The canal was dug with little regard for connecting local communities. The problem of the Meuse river was the relatively big height difference upwards of Venlo. This was 34 cm/km, or three times that of the Rhine near Emmerich. It caused that in summer there was often too little water in the Meuse for shipping. And in the winter there was often so much water that navigation became dangerous. Towing ships or barges upriver
9700-399: Was opened till the quay of Dongen. World War I would speed up the section from Dongen to Tilburg, because there was a lot of unemployment. In September 1914 the government therefore asked for an extra 500,000 to speed up the Wilhelmina Canal. Shortly after, the government asked 5 contractors to make a bid for digging a section east of the Voldijk by hand. It was rumored that the constructor of
9800-408: Was tendered. It consisted of: Digging the basin, or city harbor in Maastricht, with a lock on the Meuse. Executing a lot of works to lead the canal through the fortification of Maastricht, including three tunnels through the walls, and towards the basin. On 14 September 1825 the construction of the canal through 's-Hertogenbosch was tendered. This also included the construction of three bridges inside
9900-465: Was tendered. This consisted of: Digging the canal from the provincial boundary to its junction with the former Noorderkanaal, or Grand Canal du Nord. The renovation of the Grand Canal du Nord on the stretch that was part of the Zuid-Willemsvaart, and the construction or completion of some of its infrastructure. Building six locks, 10 drawbridges and a number of culverts. On 16 March 1824 a sixth part
10000-501: Was that the existing section through Helmond could not be upgraded, and solving the road traffic problem in Helmond could not be postponed as long as the general upgrade of the canal. Therefore, the decision about the Helmond detour was taken while the options for other parts of the canal remained open In May 1971 the route of the detour was determined. Other considerations to construct the detour were that it would bypass Locks 7, 8 and 9. Technological advances allowed their replacement by
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