Canal Nieuwpoort - Veurne

The Nieuwpoort-Veurne canal is one of the waterways, paid for by Bruges, Veurne and Dunkirk, to connect Plassendale and Bruges to Dunkirk (in northern France) by water. This part was built around 1640. An old waterway, the Langelis (Langgeleed), was deepened and straightened from Nieuwpoort to Wulpen. The section to Veurne was then dug completely new with manpower.

The Nieuwpoort-Dunkirk or Veurnevaart Canal is a canal that connects the Belgian coastal city of Nieuwpoort and the French port city of Dunkirk. The Nieuwpoort-Dunkirk Canal is an extension of the Plassendale-Nieuwpoort Canal and runs almost parallel to the coastline, about two to four kilometers from the sea.

Start at the Veurne lock in Nieuwpoort
The canal starts in Nieuwpoort at the Veurnesas or Veurneluis, part of the so-called Ganzepoot aan de Yzer, where it connects with the Yser, the North Sea and the Plassendale-Nieuwpoort Canal.

The canal runs from Nieuwpoort eastwards, past the Koksijdse borough of Wulpen. The canal then bends inland for a while, to the city of Veurne, where it connects to the Lovaart. The canal circles Veurne, before bending closer to the shoreline, passing Adinkerke. After almost 19 kilometers on Belgian territory, the canal flows further into France, past Bray-Dunes and Zuidkote. In Dunkirk there is again a connection with the North Sea and the canal ends in connections with the Broekburgvaart and Havendijk canals.

The Plassendale-Nieuwpoort-Veurne-Dunkirk canal was constructed around 1630; it connects with the Ghent-Bruges (1613) and Bruges-Oostende (1618) canals, which were constructed at the same time.

Willem Vandenameele