The Fossa Eugeniana or Spanish Rhine-Maas canal was a large-scale ambitious project of the Spanish-Dutch

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

planned by the then Spanish regent in Brussels,

Isabella Clara Eugenia Isabella Clara Eugenia ( es, link=no, Isabel Clara Eugenia; 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633), sometimes referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands in the Low Countries and the north of modern France with ...

, after whom it was named, during the years 1626–1630. It consisted of a fortified canal intended to blockade the United Provinces and to divert trade from the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

near

Rheinberg Rheinberg () is a town in the Wesel (district), district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. north of Moers and south of Wesel. It comprises the municipal districts of Rheinberg, B ...

just south of

Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...

and reroute it to

Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherland ...

on the Maas, in Spanish territory. The Spanish Rhine-Maas canal had military importance, when at the time Spanish garrisons in north-western Germany reached their maximum extent, amounting to around fifty fortresses and forts.Israel, p. 38. It was to be wide, deep and long. The Fossa Eugeniana was never finished. A 5.7 km section west of

Geldern Geldern ( nl, Gelderen, archaic English: ''Guelder(s)'') is a city in the federal German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is part of the district of Kleve, which is part of the Düsseldorf administrative region. Geography Location Geldern l ...

is in use as drainage canal. It is known under the name '' Grift''.

Notes

References

*Wilson, Peter Hamish. ''The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy.'' Penguin, 2009. . *Israel, Jonathan Irvine. ''Conflicts of Empires: Spain, the Low Countries and the Struggle for World Supremacy, 1585-1713.'' London, 1997. . *Zijlmans, Roel. ''Troebele betrekkingen: Grens-, scheepvaart- en waterstaatskwesties in de Nederlanden tot 1800'', chapter 5. Hilversum, 2017. .

External links

* http://www.kunstgeografie.nl/kanalen/fossa.start.htm {{coord, 51.5094, 6.5339, display=title Canals in Germany Canals in the Netherlands Canals in Limburg (Netherlands) Landforms of North Rhine-Westphalia Venlo History of Limburg (Netherlands)