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Presentation	Search Rechercher	Ronquieres boat lift, Ronquières inclined plane,Sloping Lock of Ronquières , Ronquieres bootlift, Ronquières hellend vlak, Hellende sluis van Ronquières
The inclined plane of Ronquières is a monumental structure built between 1960 and 1968 on the Charleroi Brussels Canal. Its construction was part of the general plan to modernize the canal to 1350 tons. As a book of the time puts it very well, here, « the boats go on wheels ». The Ronquières structure consists essentially of two metal tanks 91 meters long by 12 meters wide, containing water varying from 3 meters to 3.70 meters high, depending on the flotation of the upstream bay, and moving in the direction of their length. The bins end at each end with a movable door that opens when they come to stand against the terminal door of the upper or lower bay, thus leaving the passage to the boats. Each tank, whose weight in running order varies from 5200 to 5600 tons is balanced by a counterweight of 5300 tons. Each tank rests on 236 rollers that run on 4 running rails. 192 rollers and 4 rails support the counterweight that moves under the tank in a reinforced concrete hopper. The guidance of a tank is provided by 24 steering rollers and 2 guide rails, located on either side of the tank. Similarly, 24 steering rollers guide the counterweight. Read more>>>		In spring
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The Bacs	The tower	Hoppers

The Canal Bridge	The Lock of Ittre	The king in Ronquières

History
History of the village	History of a construction site	History of the canal

The story of Ronquières was written by both Emile Landercy and Abbé Georges Malherbe	The pharaonic construction of Ronquières lasted from March 1961 to April 1968.	The current canal passing through Ronquières is the third canal built there since 1832
		It was during the reign of Philip the Good, Dukeof Burgundy (1396-1467) that the development of a waterway to serve the Hennuyères cities was first mentioned. An edict of 1436 authorized the recovery and deepening of the Senne. Project too expensive alas. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries canal projects were born: Charles V (1500-1558)and his son Philip IIKing of Spain (1527-1598) had given permission to build the canal with the first real project to connect the Willebrouck Canal (1561) to Charleroi. Project without a future. The French saga of the Charleroi Canal in Brussels ended with Bonaparte’s views on the project, troubled by all the force he concentrated on a proudly expansionist foreign policy. Read more
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Under construction	In operation	Dryed

The construction of the inclined plane
Earthworks	Concreting	Bins

The Canal Bridge	The downstream head	The tower

The Lock of Ittre
	The Ittre lock is the highest in the Charleroi – Brussels canal. It buys a height difference of about 15 meters. Built during the transformation of the canal that allowed the passage of barges of 1350 tons, the lock of Ittre has several peculiarities. It was built above ground, that is to say like a building. We first built a foundation on which we put the lock. It was only after that we let the water come in. So people had the impression of seeing a concrete building rise up before being confronted with the dam that we know today. It is the lock that redeems the biggest difference in level between two reaches in Belgium It is the only lock with a submersible gate, the downstream gate. It is therefore under water when the airlock is filled with water. Lire la suite
The lock under construction	The lock seen from the sky	The lock in automn

The works at the inclinated plan	The works of the new 1350-ton canal
La vidange du pont canal Les réparations à la trémie numéro 1 Le remplacement des poulies du bac numéro 1 Draguage du port aval Réparations au treuil	Ecluse de Marchienne au pont Ecluse de Gosselies Tranchée de Godarville Plan incliné de Ronquières Tranchée d'Asquimpont Ecluse d'Ittre
In the region	Le haut La partie supérieure du plan incliné est occupée par les hauts remblais, le pont-canal, la tour et la salle des machines Le milieu La partie centrale du plan incliné est occupée par les rails de roulement et les bacs et contrepoids. Le bas La partie inférieure du plan incliné est occupée par la butée aval et le port d’attente. Vu de la tour Par beau temps, en été, la vue porte très loin depuis le sommet de la tour de Ronquières. Une visite à réserver à ceux qui n'ont pas le vertige ! Un treuil Sans lui, les bacs et leurs contenus ne bougeraient pas. Un coup d'oeil sur ces monstres d'acier et de puissance qui, dans un relatif silence, déplacent les baignoires mobiles. Sous le bac Une visite dans les entrailles du plan incliné, là où circulent les bacs et les contrepoids
The Blue Forest	The Old Canal	The wood of la Houssière

Nothing is more beautiful than the forest when it is adorned with some of its finest finery at the end of winter when, by the millions, the hyacinths of the woods spring through the carpet of fallen leaves.	The construction of the new 1300-ton canal sounded the death knell for the old canal that meandered along the valley of the Senne then the Sennette, the Samme and finally the Piéton. If there is nothing left of the old canals downstream of Ittre, there are still beautiful portions of the old canals between Seneffe and Ittre.	The wood of la Houssière occupies some 662 hectares on a five-kilometre-long hill between the villages of Henripont, Ronquières and Virginal. The ridge line, which rises to 163 meters above sea level, shares the watersheds of the Senne and its tributary, the Sennette. The valleys and ravines that cut it, especially on the steep slopes located on the edge of the forest perimeter, were formed either by sand pits or by streams born from the percolation of rainwater to the Ypresian clays through the thick layer of sand.
Asquimpont	Clabecq	Fauquez

Henripont	Virginal	Oisquercq

The flea market of May 1st	Recent publications	The construction sites of the 1950s and 1960s
	The King in Ronquières Hoppers in summary The canal bridge in summary The tower in summary Bins in summary The inclined plane in summary The old canal on October 24, 2021 The old canal on October 21, 2021 The old canal on November 12, 2021 The old canal on November 1, 2021 The old canal on October 23, 2021 The old canal on October 08, 2021 The old canal on November 3, 2020 The old canal on October 28, 2019 The old canal on November 1, 2016 The old canal in autumn The old canal in winter The arm of Oisquercq in the fall of 2016 The arm of Oisquercq in the fall of 2021 The arm of Oisquercq in the fall of 2015 The arm of Oisquercq in autumn The arm of Oisquercq in winter The arm of Oisquercq in summer The flooded lock The castle Delfosse	If it was the most spectacular, the Ronquières shipyard was not the only one in the region. From 1950 until 1968, the Charleroi Brussels Canal area was dotted with construction sites that profoundly changed the landscape. Marchienne Lock (1F) Gosselies Lock (2F) Godarville Trench The inclined plane of Ronquières (4F) Ittre Lock (5F) The Asquimpont Trench

Dawn	Twilight	At night

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