Cycling along the Albert Canal

Looking out over the water while cycling along the banks of the Albert Canal, the image of Belgian industry and manufacturability is burned into your retina. Relatively young companies and associated logistics and activity stand out when you look out over the water. On the canal, impressive ships transport countless goods, while the water has the mysterious power to make you feel small as a person. The Albert Canal was constructed between the famous Belgian cities of Liège and Antwerp. This waterway, which came into use in 1946, is almost 130 kilometers long and allows ships to sail from Antwerp to Liège or vice versa in about 18 hours. It is an important transport artery, but the canal also provides a large part of the drinking water supply of the Antwerp region. The Meuse water, which is supplied via the canal, is filtered and made suitable for drinking water. Cycling along the Albert Canal you will get a taste of Belgian industry. There was little space to build homes between the roads and the canal, but the area is particularly suitable for industry. Important industrial areas are located along the Albert Canal, including Herentals Industry. Halfway through the cycle route, near the town of Herentals, you cross the canal to cycle back along the other bank. Herentals is the historic capital of the Kempen, traditionally a city with a flourishing cloth trade. Gradually a more varied industry emerged and the town became less traditional. Herentals is also part of the Albert Canal Economic Network, a network spread over 25 municipalities along the Albert Canal that aims to coordinate economic forces to promote economic growth. That works quite well; Herentals plays an important economic role in diamond processing and in the food, metal, textile and shoe industries. In addition to the important industrial and economic position that the canal occupies, the water functions as a defense line and protects the country behind it, together with the French Maginot Line, against attacks from the east. The height of the water in the canal can be determined via locks and bunkers and resistance nests have been built in certain places on the western dike.