The Napoleon Canal: A Waterway Built in Defiance of the British Navy (8 photos + 1 video)

One of the best ways to see the beautiful Belgian city of Bruges is by sailing along its many canals.





The historic city center is conveniently enclosed in a kind of egg, surrounded by water. This allows tourists to take boat rides, admiring the charming old houses and churches.



The canals themselves deserve special attention, especially the picturesque Sluis Canal, better known as the Damme Canal.





This approximately 15-kilometer-long waterway connects Bruges with the Dutch border town of Sluis through the municipality of Damme. It was built by order of Napoleon Bonaparte, hence its second name—the Napoleon Canal.



The Emperor planned to build a system of canals along the coast so that the French army could quickly move and transport supplies, avoiding clashes with the powerful British fleet.



Achieving this by sea was impossible due to the British dominance of the waters. The canal was intended to connect Bruges with the Scheldt Estuary in the Netherlands, but this plan was never realized due to Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.



Soon after, King William I ordered the canal's completion, but work was not completed until the 1850s. In the Damme area, it intersects with the Leopold Canal and the Schipdonk Canal.



Both of these hydraulic structures were dug in the mid-19th century to reduce the Belgian canal network's dependence on Dutch influence after Belgium gained independence in 1830. The canal remained in operation until 1940, when French troops destroyed its siphon system, ending shipping on the Damme Canal.



Today, the canal is lined on both sides by orderly rows of poplars and is rightfully considered the most beautiful canal in all of Flanders.