Ship elevators cruise, Bruges – Halle
Discover the historic and special locks
while passing some less known cities.
CRUISE ONLY ON REQUEST ! ! !
Besides the well known larger art cities such as Bruges and Ghent, there are some very interesting gems to discover in this small country. Oudenaarde was the centre of wall tapestry in the 16th century. It’s flamboyant city hall with belfry tower is unesco world heritage. Before 486, Doornik/Tournai was the capital of the Frankish empire. After this, the bishopric of Tournai was created, extending over most of the area west of the Scheldt. In 862, it became the capital of the County of Flanders. We moore close to the “Pont des trous” built in 1290 as a defensive tower over the river Scheldt.
On the Canal du Centre, at Strepy, 4 historic ship elevators were replaced with one new cable-elevator to cover a height difference of 73m. At Ronquières, another system with 2 large watertanks on rails moves the ships 67m up or down. The huge lock of Ittre brings us down another 13.3m descending to Brussels.
Route description
- 1 Brugge (Bruges): Welcome on board. Today you can visit this Unesco World Heritage city with its belfry, churches, statue of Michelangelo, small canals, picturesque squares, fish market, city brewery, etc…
- 2 Gent (Ghent): Enjoy the atmosphere at the Graslei or the “Patershol” with its small restaurants.
- 3 Oudenaarde: The belfry and city hall of Oudenaarde are unesco world heritage sites. Once a famous center of tapestry, the city now houses the museum of wall tapestry as well as a museum of the flemish Ardennes.
- 4 Doornik (Tournay): Historic city dating back to the 5th century with Clovis, 1st king of the Francs. Beautiful belfry and cathedral. The museum of Fine Art, built in Art Nouveau style by architect Victor Horta, contains works of Manet, MMonet, Seurat, Van Gogh and others…
- 5 Blaton: Cycle along the 21km picturesque canal to Ath. Half way, you can stop to visit the castle of Beloeil with its wonderful gardens.
- 6 Strepy – Thieu: The 4 old ship elevators of Strépy are more then 100 year old and are still in operation for pleasure craft. We use the new and spectacular elevator that brings us up some 73m in one haul. A visit to the new elevator building gives you an idea of the huge engines and forces that are needed.
- 7 Halle: Today, on the most spectacular part of the cruise, we go up 73m in one time at Trépy, down 67m at Ronquieres and another 13m in the lock of Ittres to our destination in Halle near Brussels.
- 7 Halle: Farewell after breakfast.
On alternating weeks cruising in the opposite direction.