The Albert Canal (Dutch: Albertkanaal, French: Canal Albert) is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, named after King Albert I of Belgium. It connects the major cities Antwerp and Liège and the Meuse and Scheldt rivers. It has a depth of 3.4 metres (11 ft), a free height of 6.7 metres (22 ft) and a total length of 129.5 kilometres (80.5 mi). The maximum capacity is a barge of 10,000 tons.
Between Antwerp and Liège, there is a height difference of 56 metres (184 ft), and a total of 6 canal locks were needed to overcome the difference in elevation. Five canal locks each have a height difference of 10 metres (33 ft), located in Genk, Diepenbeek, Hasselt, Kwaadmechelen and Olen, while the canal lock at Wijnegem has a height difference of 5.45 metres (17.9 ft).
In the 1930s, it took about 7 days to travel from Antwerp to Liege over water. These days the same distance is covered in 18 hours. Since the completion of the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal in 1992, a barge can now travel from Antwerp all the way across Europe to the Black Sea.
Read more about Albert Canal: History
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