| Leopold Canal |
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| Length | 46 km (29 mi) |
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| Status | Open |
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| Construction began | 1847 |
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| Date completed | 1850 |
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| Start point | west of Zelzate |
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| End point | North Sea |
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The Leopold Canal (Dutch: Leopoldkanaal or Leopoldvaart, French: Canal Léopold) is a canal in northern Belgium. Construction occurred between 1847 and 1850 after the Belgian government granted permission in 1846. It runs about 40 km (25 mi) westward from Boekhoute to Heist-aan-Zee just south of the Dutch border. It is between 1.2 and 2.3 m (3 ft 11 in and 7 ft 7 in) deep. The canal was proposed by Canon Joseph Andries [nl], local member of the Belgian National Congress, to prevent the Dutch from blocking the discharge of water and inundating the Meetjesland after Belgium's independence from the Netherlands.
This canal was a major line of German resistance during the Battle of the Scheldt in World War II.
See also
External links
Media related to Leopoldkanaal at Wikimedia Commons
51°15′52″N 3°38′18″E / 51.264466°N 3.638363°E / 51.264466; 3.638363
