The Ronquières Inclined Plane is a

canal inclined plane An inclined plane is a type of boat lift cable railway used on some canals for raising boats between different water levels. Boats may be conveyed afloat, in caissons, or may be carried in cradles or slings. History Inclined planes have evolv ...

on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal in the province of Hainaut in

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

, Belgium. It opened in April 1968 having taken six years to build. It is in the municipality of

Braine-le-Comte Braine-le-Comte (; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Braine-le-Comte had a total population of 21,649. The total area is which gives a population density of 260 inhabi ...

and takes its name from the nearby village of

Ronquières Ronquières (; ) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Braine-le-Comte, located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is best known as the location of the Ronquières inclined plane on the Brussels-Char ...

. The plane was built to reduce the delays imposed by the 14 locks (already reduced from 16 in the 19th century) that had hitherto been needed for the canal to follow the local topography.

By visiting this place

The top of the tower offers a wide view over

Nivelles Nivelles (; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the former municipalities of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monstreux. The Nivelles arrondissement ...

and beyond (as far north as

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, the

Atomium The Atomium ( , , ) is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed as the centrepiece of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58). Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and the architects André and Jean Pol ...

, the

King Baudouin Stadium The King Baudouin Stadium ( ; ) is a sports ground in Brussels, Belgium. Located in the north-western district of the City of Brussels, it was built to embellish the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in view of the 1935 Brussels International Exposition ...

, the Koekelberg Basilica on a clear day).

Description

The Ronquières Inclined Plane is long and lifts boats vertically through . It consists of two large caissons mounted on rails. Each caisson measures long by wide and has a water depth between . It can carry one boat of 1,350 tonnes or many smaller boats within the same limits. Each caisson has a 5,200-tonne counterweight running in the trough below the rails, which permits the caisson to be moved independently of the other. Each caisson is pulled by eight cables wound by capstans at the top end of the inclined plane. Each cable is long. Each caisson can be moved between the two canal levels at a speed of , taking about 22 minutes. It takes 50 minutes in total to pass through the of the entire structure, including the raised canal bridge at the top end.

In popular culture

* The film ''

Brussels by Night Brussels by Night is a Belgian drama film from 1983, directed by former Humo journalist Marc Didden. The low budget picture was financed partly by Herman Schueremans, organizer of the Flemish rock festival Rock Werchter. The film was named after a ...

'' (1983) takes place (in part) at the inclined plane of Ronquières.

Photo gallery

Image:Ronquières JPG02.jpg, Boat waiting before the inclined plane Image:Ronquières JPG03.jpg, Lower control tower and machine hall Image:Ronquiières Schëffslift.JPG, Caisson leaving lower lock Image:Ronquières JPG04.jpg, Caisson en route Image:Ronquières JPG05.jpg, The inclined plane Image:RonquièresPlanIncliné1.jpg, Caisson en route

References

External links

Ronquières, the non official siteOfficial Site
* — with photos
Site of the Walloon regional archives. Ronquières inclined plane. Facilities inside and outside the complex. Pictures from 1997.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ronquieres inclined plane Transport infrastructure completed in 1968 Canal inclined planes Locks of Belgium Buildings and structures in Hainaut (province) Braine-le-Comte