The Kempische Vaart, later also known as Maas–Schelde Kanaal was a canal in Belgium that connected the Port of Antwerp to the Meuse via the Zuid-Willemsvaart. The Kempische Vaart, in French or can easily be confused with the Bocholt–Herentals Canal. This is because the first two parts of the Kempische Vaart stretched from Bocholt to Herentals. These were even known as Canal de Bocholt à Herenthals shortly after the second part was opened in 1846.
The first part of the Kempische Vaart, which led to Blauwe Kei, was completed in 1844. It primarily served to irrigate the Campine. In 1846, the second part was opened. It led to Herentals and primarily served to allow shipping to go from the Meuse to the Scheldt basin. In 1858, the connection from Herentals to Antwerp was changed to become a modern canal, connected to the first two parts.
In the 1930s, about a third of the Kempische Vaart was reused as part of the Albert Canal. Most of the rest was slightly upgraded. It effectively became the Bocholt–Herentals Canal when the Albert Canal finally opened in 1940. Unlike the Kempische Vaart, the current Bocholt–Herentals Canal is a canal of local interest.
Context
The Campine () is an area with sandy soil. This caused that up to about 1860, it was sparsely populated and covered by heath, moors, oak forest and peatlands. Agriculture did not develop because the ground was not fertile.
Development of the Kempen required better transport facilities. For agriculture, vast amounts of fertilizer would have to be brought in at low cost. The products that the Kempen produced; like wood, timber, bark and charcoal were also bulky and low value. Therefore, it was logical to create a network of canals in the area.
The idea to canalize the Campine would get mixed up with ideas to connect Antwerp to the Meuse and Rhine. Such ideas date back to at least the Fossa Eugeniana project. This was started in 1626, but was never completed. In 1806 Napoleon ordered the construction of the Grand Canal du Nord. This canal was to connect Antwerp to Venlo (on the Meuse) and Neuss (on the Rhine). Actual construction started in 1809, but was aborted at the end of 1810.
After Belgium became independent in 1830–1831, it inherited a part of the Zuid-Willemsvaart. This 123 km long canal connected Maastricht to 's-Hertogenbosch and thus Liège to the North Sea ports. The new state got the 45 km long part of this canal that ran to the north from the gates of Maastricht to the village of Lozen, just north of Bocholt. Near Lozen, this canal takes a sharp turn to the northeast towards Weert.
The Belgian part of the Zuid-Willemsvaart had been built to the same specifications as the Dutch part. It was said to be usable for vessels of about 150t. However, others claimed that the Zuid-Willemsvaart allowed vessels of 400-500t. The canal was between 16.30 m and 18.40 m wide at the surface. The bed was 10 m wide and was 2.10 m deep. It had three locks, with the numbers 17, 18 and 19. These had a passage width of 7 m. The lock chamber of Lock 17 was 50 m long. By 1851, Lock 18 and 19 had a brick lock chamber that was only 45.40 m long.
The 1839 Treaty of London brought about the normalization of relations between the Netherlands and Belgium. The citizens of both countries would be able to use shared canals on the same conditions. Belgium could now try to make use of its part of the Zuid-Willemsvaart.
History
In 1838, the minister of public works ordered engineer U. Kümmer to coordinate several projects for the canalization, irrigation and land development in the Campine. While doing so, Kümmer had to take the connection of the Meuse to the Scheldt into account. He then had to present a final plan.
One of the projects that Kümmer studied was a plan presented by Engineer Masui in November 1835. It was the only plan that served both agricultural and navigational interests. It foresaw a main canal from Bocholt to Blauwe Kei (near Lommel on the border between Antwerp Province and Limburg Province). From there, a branch would go north to Turnhout and then west towards the Scheldt. Another branch would go from Blaue Kei to Hasselt. These three canals would be only 1.25 m deep. The locks would be 20 m long with a passage width of 2.20 m. Vessels of up to 25t would be able to use these canals. The total cost of this plan was estimated at 5,632,000 Francs. As an aside: the dimensions of a British narrowboat are about by .
The final plan made by engineer Kümmer was based on the Masui plan. It called for the construction of the in four parts:
From the Zuid-Willemsvaart to Blauwe Kei From Blauwe Kei to Herentals From Blauwe Kei to the Demer near Hasselt From Blauwe Kei to Antwerp via Turnhout
The trajectory of Kümmer's plan differed from Masui's plan by calling for a new section from Blauwe Kei to Herentals. However, the main difference was in the dimensions of what Kümmer proposed. He proposed that the first part, i.e. that to Blauwe Kei would get the same dimensions as Zuid-Willemsvaart. For the other parts, Kümmer wanted to give only the part to Herentals the same dimensions. Of the total plan, Kümmer proposed to first dig only the canal to Blauwe Kei. This would cost about 2,000,000 Francs, but would incite businessmen to make good offers to participate in the project.
Kümmer noted that opening a canal would not automatically lead to the development of agriculture in the Campine. He also noted that most of the Campine consisted of communal lands, which were hard to develop. Kümmer proposed compulsory purchase of lands on the trajectory of the canal and the communal grounds that were located within 1 km of each bank. This land could then be rented out to companies or to individual farmers.
In September 1842, the Belgian Parliament approved a law that called for the construction of a canal from the Zuid-Willemsvaart to the Rupel.
The 'short' Kempische Vaart (1846)
In February 1843, the Belgian parliament approved the construction of the first two parts of the canal. These were the part from Bocholt to Blauwe Kei and the part from Blauwe Kei to Herentals. From September 1842 to July 1846, four budget laws were approved to complete these two parts. These first two parts of the canal were 57.5 km long. They started 263 m upstream of Lock 18 in the Zuid-Willemsvaart and (originally) ended at Lock 6 of the canalized Kleine Nete just downstream of Herentals.
The first part was 27.2 km long and easy to construct. It ran from Bocholt to Blauwe Kei and had a single lock at Bocholt. This lock would normally be open, but in exceptional circumstances it could be closed and stop the water in both directions. It had a 5.50 m wide passage. The first part of the canal was opened for shipping on 22 August 1844.
The second part held all the locks. Just east of Herentals, it re-used two stretches of the Grand Canal du Nord. These were almost 12 km long, but no locks had been made. The new canal would get eleven locks. The first was 27 km downstream of the Zuid-Willemsvaart. The eleventh lock was just downstream of Herentals. The locks were 5.20 m wide between the gates and had an effective lock chamber length of 45 m. The first three locks were staircase locks that each had two consecutive chambers to handle a rise of 4.33 m. The water level at the upstream sill of locks 2-11 was only 1.65 m. The second part of the canal was opened for shipping on 21 September 1846.
The (cross) section of the first two parts of the canal differed. The first 16 km of the first part was 2.10 m deep with a bed width of 10 m. The rest of the first part initially had the same depth of 2.10 m, but with a bed width of only 6.00 m. However, on the sides, two lateral banks would allow for later widening the canal without extra costs. In the second part, the canal was initially only 1.65 m deep. Here too, digging away the banks would allow a bed width of 10 m and a depth of 2.10 m.
The third part of the original canal plan was still a dead letter in 1847. Nothing had been done for it, However, in February 1858, it was opened for navigation.
The fourth part of the original plan got more attention. Near Dessel, a branch formed the Dessel–Turnhout canal. This was from the start intended to be extended to Antwerp. With a depth of only 1.65 m, it was a substantially smaller canal. This fourth part of the original canal plan was opened for shipping on 21 September 1846. This canal became the Dessel–Turnhout–Schoten Canal when the part west of Turnhout was finally completed in 1875.
The extended Kempische Vaart (1859)
After the first parts of the Kempische Vaart were completed, it relied on the canalized Kleine Nete for the connection to Lier and from there, to Antwerp. This canal was 23 km long and had six locks with chambers of 20 m by 3 m. These were only usable for vessels with a draft of up to 1.10 m. It made that this canal could only be used by tiny vessels of 40-50t.
There were several options to extend the Campine Canal to Antwerp. They were discussed as 'third part of the Canal connecting the Meuse to the Scheldt'. In the end it was decided to dig a new canal from Herentals to Antwerp. The route went along Massenhoven, Oelegem, Wijnegem and Den Dam. Between Herentals and Grobbendonk the roads called Lenteheide, Troon and Del mark its disappeared trajectory. In Antwerp, its last lock connected the canal to the Kattendijk Dock. The canal primarily differed from the 1803 Canal du Nord plan, because East of Antwerp, the canal would share a part with another canal. This was the fourth part of the original canal plan, i.e. the branch to Turnhout that would also be extended to Antwerp.
Between Herentals and Antwerp, the canal got the same dimensions as the Zuid-Willemsvaart. The bed of the canal was 10 m wide with a depth of 2.10 m. Five locks were 7.5 m wide and 2.10 m deep with an effective lock chamber length of 45 m. The sixth lock connected to the Antwerp docks. On the sea side, it had a sill at a depth of 2.73 m. This was based on the lowest tide being 0.63 m below the general water level in Belgium. At the very end of the canal was the Kattendijk Sea Lock.
The first part of the extended Kempische Vaart was opened for navigation in October 1856, the final part in October 1859.
The uniform Kempische Vaart (1862) After the part between Antwerp and Herentals had been opened in 1858, the canal could still be used only by relatively small vessels. This was due to the smaller (45.00 m by 5.20 m by 1.65 m) locks between Herentals and Blauwe Kei. Already in 1856, the sluice / lock at Bocholt had got an extra chamber with a passage width of 7.50 m.
In September 1859, the government took a loan of 2,300,000 Francs to make the second part of the canal consistent with the first and third part. It would finally get the planned depth of 2.10 m with bed width of 10 m. Its locks would be widened from 5.50 to 7.50 m and lengthened. These works were finished in 1862. The total cost of the canal was by then estimated at 11-12 million Franks.
Already in 1872, another change was made. Increased trade led to the construction of new docks east of Kattendjk Dock. It led to Lock 17 of the canal being removed and rebuilt more to the east on the IJzerlaan. It shortened the canal by 817.30 m.
In 1880, the Kempische Vaart was said to have these locks: