Civil engineering heritage: country profile – Belgium

Abstract

This paper is a review of the civil engineering heritage of Belgium, one of the series of country profiles being published by Engineering History and Heritage. It is presented under four headings: ‘Belgium’s major civil engineering achievements’, ‘National and regional recognition of engineering heritage’, ‘Exemplar conservation of engineering structures’ and ‘Information sources for engineering heritage’. This profile discusses engineering structures of heritage importance, including the following, all built before 1945: several canals (in chronological order: from Brussels to the Rupel; from Pommerœl to Antoing; from Charleroi to Brussels; the Centre canal, with its four hydraulic boat lifts; the Albert canal, from Liège to Antwerp, with its Vierendeel all welded bridges); the Palace of Justice in Brussels; the Gileppe dam; the forts of Meuse River; the Mativa footbridge in Liège; the hall of exhibitions Palais 5 in Brussels; and the first prestressed concrete railway bridge project in the world. The profile lists organisations in Belgium active in helping conserve its engineering heritage, including the Flemish Association for Industrial Archaeology, Museum of Industry, Work and Textiles, Patrimoine Industriel Wallonie-Bruxelles and BruxellesFabriques/BrusselFabriek, and concludes with a short list of sources of information allowing the reader to find further information about Belgium’s civil engineering heritage.