Lecture: History of the Zuid-Willemsvaart

Bernard Vissers from Veghel will give a lecture on the history of the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal.

Bernard Vissers, former chairman of the Veghel local history society, has been studying the history of the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal for decades.

Two hundred years ago, on May 31, 1825 to be precise, the first ships sailed between 's-Hertogenbosch and Helmond on the new canal, then called the Willemsvaart canal. It was named after King William I, who had initiated it. A year later, the southern section to Maastricht was also completed. In four years, 7,000 workers, using shovels and wheelbarrows, had dug 122 km of canal. Bernard is happy to talk about the earlier plans to deepen the Aa River and make it more suitable as a waterway. He also discusses the ultimate choice of the unique route, which uses the Aadal valley and partially follows a canal that Napoleon had already constructed. The canal cut off hamlets from villages and cut straight through farmers' fields. Consultation procedures did not yet exist at that time. The canal diggers were hard workers from Wallonia, including women, and from the peatlands of Drenthe. Their limited free time often involved rough and tumble activities. The military police frequently had to intervene. The pastors of the nearby villages urged parishioners not to associate with these strange people. The lecture will be held in the Community Center. Attendance is free for members of the De Lange Vonder local history society from Beek en Donk; non-members pay a small fee.