Leopold Canal (Belgium)

Leopold Canal
Leopold Canal
	The Leopold Canal in Sint-Laureins
Specifications
Length	46 km (29 mi)
Status	Open
History
Construction began	1847
Date completed	1850
Geography
Start point	west of Zelzate
End point	North Sea

The Leopold Canal (Dutch: Leopoldkanaal or Leopoldvaart, French: Canal Léopold) is a canal in northern Belgium.^[1] 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.^[2] The German forces defended the canal against the 3rd Canadian Division in September and October 1944.^[3]^[4]

References

^ "The Leopold Canal". Mijn Platte Land. 1944-10-13. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
^ "The Battle of the Leopold Canal, September 13 to 14, 1944". www.canada.ca. 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
^ "Battle for the Leopold Canal". Strobrugge. 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
^ Copp, Terry (2007-01-01). Cinderella Army. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8020-9522-0.