Ship Tractor Bridge

It is wonderful to stay in the vicinity of the Schiptrekkersbrug. The name I named after the inhabitants of Denderleeuw who are called 'ship pullers'. But where does this name come from? Between 1863 and 1868, the Dender was canalized from origin to mouth. In the 19th century, the transport of coal from Wallonia was an important factor. Furthermore, limestone, lime, bluestone from Lessines, bricks, tiles, wood and cereals are also transported over the Dender. Until the end of the 19th century, the ships had to be pulled by people, the so-called ship pullers. In ship's terms, this is called 'ship hunting', hence the term 'towpath' for the path on which the ship pullers walked. Until the early 20th century, shipping continued to rely on manpower, whether or not combined with horsepower. Denderleeuw, which is centrally located between Dendermonde and Ath, was known in the 19th century for its many ship pullers. The Huissegem district in particular was home to many ship-towing families. The profession of ship puller was practiced by tough guys, rough in language and manners. They didn't need any brains to pull a barge forward. Their hands were enough. The roughness that typified them had also been noticed by the village priest of Denderleeuw: in 1845 he noted that 'the ship-pullers often swear and neglect to give their children a good education'. Around 1860 Denderleeuw had about 50 skippers and about a hundred ship pullers. It is remarkable that in the population registers of that period women and children are also mentioned with a ship tractor as their profession. The name of the ship puller lives on in the derisive name that the municipality of Denderleeuw cherishes as a tribute to these men and women. On 25 June 2007, the Schiptrekkersbrug was officially inaugurated. This location was not chosen by chance, because this was the location of the lost ferry between Liedekerke and Denderleeuw.

Dromos