Bocholt-Herentals canal

The bunkers next to the Bocholt-Herentals canal remind us of the Second World War. This canal was a huge step forward in opening up the Kempen. Together with the Zuid-Willemsvaart, it connects the Maas and the Scheldt. There was another reason for the construction of the canal. Agriculture was able to use the mineral-rich water of the Meuse for the irrigation of the dry Kempen. Between 1843 and 1846, the canal was completed between Bocholt and Herentals and there it was connected to the canalized Nete. In 1859 this canal was extended to Antwerp. At the end of the 19th century, however, it was no longer sufficient and plans were made for a new canal between the Meuse and the Scheldt. It was not until 1930 that the works on the Albert Canal began. A dozen bunkers along the canal are now set up as winter quarters for bats. For this purpose, a shooting opening on the wind-sheltered side of the bunker was adapted into an entrance opening.

Lannoo