Brussels has its river, the Senne / Zenne, as the majority of important cities. But unlike these, the Senne is not visible. In the centre of Brussels, the infectious river was completely covered up to reduce the foul smell and major boulevards were built over top in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Senne is still visible in the outskirts of Brussels.
The only “river” somehow crossing Brussels remains le Canal, officially called the Brussels-Charleroi Canal since it runs from the South of Charleroi to the North of Brussels. The Canal is part of a North-South axis of water transport in Belgium and the North of France. This main purpose of the Canal as part of a water transport network seems to have decreased during the last years, together with the deindustrialisation.
The Brussels bit of the Canal and the gentrification around it, in the area closer to the center, are fascinating.
The Northern area of the Canal still feels industrial, whereas the South one, towards Charleroi, is more “homey”. Walking or biking South along the Canal reveals calmer outskirts with funny street art, strange galleries with giant Buddha-s and people living on houseboats.
When arriving in Ruisbroek, a village outside Brussels, one can be rewarded after a long trip along the Canal with a beer and a cozy atmosphere at the local bar near the train station.
Further South, the Ronquières inclined plane, lifting boats through almost 68 m vertically, is another remarkable feature of the Canal, looking like a big achievement of the glorious industrial seventies which lost its shimmer.
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