Leopold Canal

Historically, the polders in this area drained to the Westerschelde via all kinds of watercourses and creeks. In 1830, when the Dutch declared Belgian independence, the Netherlands closed all drainage streams. As a result, this area flooded. Due to the humidity of the area, certain insects were able to thrive and malaria developed in this area, which they called 'polder fever' here. As a solution, a first Belgian infrastructure work was proposed in the form of a canal that would run from Heist to Zelzate and thus at the same time form an additional connection between the North Sea and the Ghent-Terneuzen canal (which the Dutch had also closed). It was named after the first king of Belgium, Leopold 1.

The digging of the canal lasted from 1843 to 1854, but the original plans were never finished. It was dug entirely by hand but already stops in Boekhoute. The canal has always served only as a drainage channel.

Originally, it was also thought to build a military defensive wall in case there were still conflicts with the Netherlands. The Leopold Canal follows approximately the Belgian-Dutch border. In the First World War, the German occupiers did give it a military role, because the Netherlands was neutral territory. It became a difficult beacon to take and, together with large bunker belts, was integrated into the Hollandstellung. During the Second World War, the Leopold Canal played a major role in the month of October 1944. During operation Swithback, heavy fighting took place in Sint-Laureins and Maldegem, a little further towards the coast, between the Canadian and British divisions and the German occupiers.

Landelijke Gilden fiets-, wandel- en autoroutes