The Four Lifts
The four hydraulic boat-lifts on this short stretch of the historic Canal du Centre are industrial monuments of the highest quality. Together with the Canal itself and its associated structures, they constitute a remarkably well preserved and complete example of a late 19th century industrial landscape.
The lifts were necessary because of the differences in height of the Canal. There is a rise of some 90 metres from Mons to the summit level of 121 metres above sea level. Most of this rise is concentrated in a few kilometres - hence the artificial help. The first of the lifts was built here in 1888 by the John Cockerill company, after an English design.
Of the eight hydraulic boat lifts built at the end of the last and the beginning of this century, the only ones which still exist in their original working condition are the four lifts on the Canal du Centre. There now is even a modern fifth one at Strépy-Thieu.
Canals .
Visit June 2003
The Four Lifts can be found in the Canal du Centre between La Louvière and Mons. The road to the lifts (ascenseurs in French) is well-signposted from the E19 highway coming from Brussels.
First I visited Lift no. 3. That one is situated in a small town that has seen better days. I was amazed to see the old buildings that surround the lift: it looked as if I had arrived in Northern England! The Industrial Revolution has left a large mark on Wallonia, and certainly in this region.
A few kilometers away you can take a look at Lift no. 1. You can walk around this one and take a closer look. Unfortunately there were no ships in the canal, so I haven't seen the huge construction in action.
Reviews
michel coene (Belgium):
I am from the northern part of Belgium and I believe the site explains Belgian history very nicely. When they were built, the french speaking part of Belgium was at the summit of industrialisation, only preceded by England. Belgium had the first railroad on the continent, lots of textile, coal and steel. The money they collected then was so enourmous that today, the top 4 most influencial Belgian businessman are french speaking (and 3 of them are nobel), even though the Flemish economy passed the Walloon one after the war and is now probably worth 5 times as much. Industrialisation also brought socialism, and the result of that can be seen just a few km away. A brand-new, gigantic ship-elevator. It was built by the government in a desperate attempt to re-stimulate the economy. It took over a decade, was a zillion times over budget, and is by most experts believed to be close to useless, as the canal is not deep enough for serious traffic to France, and the little tonnage that does go by could more cheaply be done by rail. It is, and remains a wonderful place to teach your kids elementary physics. |
| Date posted: June 2006 |
Ian Cade (England):
 This was a pleasant place to have a walk around on a nice autumn day. Unfortunately Lift № 1 was being heavily restored (by Eiffel!) whilst I visited after an accident involving a barge, the battered barge now sits in front of the lift in a particularly algae ridden part of the canal. The structure did look very impressive though. We then carried on down to Lifts 2 and 3, which provided a nice stroll and enabled a closer look at the structures. These were not as large as Lift 1 but I liked their appearance, I have a soft spot for Iron architecture. Also at this site is a pump room and a café so this was a nice place to visit.
My Belgian friends all laughed when I said I was going to visit La Louviére, it has a reputation for being the ugliest city in the country, and what I saw of it did not prove them wrong. The ‘ascenseurs hydrauliques’ are well signposted from the main road, although the road works took a little bit of negotiating once we left that road. Neraby is the new massive €675 million lift at Strépy-Thieu showing that the heritage is still being used to great effect today.
Apparently la Cantine des Italiens near Lift 1 offers trips along the canal through the lifts which I think would be a very nice way to see them in action. It was a nice place to stop if you are passing through and have an hour to spare. |
| Date posted: October 2005 |
Christer Sundberg (Sweden):
 Collecting World Heritage Sites sometimes takes you to places you never would have intended to go to. But by still doing so you can be sure that there is always a fascinating story to be told. So during a trip in June 2004 to Belgium and the Wallonian area I decided to visit the “Hydraulic boat lifts of La Louviére and Le Roeulx in the district of Hainault”, one of the still quite few industrial historical sites listed on the World Heritage List and my personal 137th site.
One might wonder what a boat lift is but it’s really not more complicated than it sounds. The principle is simple: two bathtubs wherein you place one barge each and then you fill one of them with slightly more water than the other and the first bathtub will push the second one upwards through hydraulic power.
The real question is WHY and the story goes that in this once prosperous area of coal mining, transportation – before the train - was only possible on water and the canal du Centre was build - A proud national canal that was making its way through a landscape with rolling hills not entirely suited for canals. And the only way to overcome the landscapes difficulties then was of course to build - boat lifts!
Having been welcomed in La Louviére by a grandiose thunderstorm and forced to spend an hour in the train station’s bar, I wandered off to where I was supposed to find the first lift, a majestic construction of steel and bricks looking like it was guarding the canal. While checking it out, a second thunderstorm hit the area forcing me again to take shelter from the rain, but then enabling me to study the lift closely for just maybe slightly longer than I had first anticipated. Next time I will bring an umbrella...
There are four boat lifts on this stretch of the Canal du Centre and all of them were built during the early 20th century and it’s said that they were quite a wonder of engineering at its time. The lifts are still used today but only during the summer and then for tourist purposes only. Industrial transportation on canals is still done today though using a new, far deeper and wider canal dug a couple of kilometers to the north of the old Canal du Centre
Having seen the first lift made me quite impressed so I decided to follow and walk along the canal to see the three other lifts, a 4-kilometer promenade along the canal for a few hours. Overall, the lifts are interesting and the area is nice and I’ve probably never visited it in my life if it haven't been for the World Heritage List… |
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Have you been to The Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainault)? Share your experiences!
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