Three-rise staircase lock

This listed three-rise staircase lock gives you a good idea of what a 19th-century canal must have looked like. It is unique in Flanders and is still used for pleasure cruising.

Back in the 19th century, road transport was slow and expensive. It was also limited to what could be loaded onto a cart. This placed a serious constraint on the industrial revolution, as the new factories were in need of reliable means of transportation which could move large volumes of goods.

As a result, it did not take long before rivers were canalised and canals were dug. This was also the case in the Lys Valley: As from 1861, the Bossuit-Kortrijk Canal allowed inland navigation vessels to travel from the River Scheldt to the River Lys; Roeselare was connected to the River Lys between 1863 and 1872. Engineers built a three-rise staircase lock at the Lys estuary: the difference in level was so great that it could not be overcome with a single lock.

When the canal was widened at the beginning of the 1970s, a large, modern lock was installed which is able to take ships to the desired level in one go. However, the old staircase lock has been preserved and has recently been restored. It is now used to let pleasure boats enter and leave the canal when the large lock is closed.

Particularly striking is how narrow the original canal was, especially compared to the current channel right next to it. Apart from their size, the locks display another significant difference: the new one was constructed of concrete while the three-rise staircase lock is made of brick and natural stone.

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