Nivelles Attractions

Ecaussinnes-Lalaing - Chateau d'en Haut The first building of Château d'en Haut on a rocky promontory not far from the Grand-Place originates from the 12th C. In the 14th C. a new, larger construction followed which has remained almost unchanged to the present day and is one of the best preserved medieval castles in Belgium. The gate tower of 1372 was altered in the 17th C., other alterations have not made such an impression on the overall picture such as the extension of the castle chapel around 1600. Under the French (around 1800) and in the 19th C. when the building was being used among other things as a factory, it collapsed. Restoration work began at the beginning of this century; since 1928 the château has been under the ownership of the Counts van der Burch, who inherited it in the 17th C.

The tour of the rooms takes in the weapons hall, kitchen, sick room, state room and dungeon; some rooms have exhibitions of glass, sculpture, ceramics and porcelain.

Sloping Lock of Ronquieres Just 4km/2.5miles north-east of Ecaussinnes is the technical spectacle of the sloping lock of Ronquières (Plan incliné de Ronquières), a gigantic barge lift on the canal from Charleroi to Brussels.

The difference in height between the Sambre Valley at Charleroi and the Senne south of Brussels was for a long time an insuperable obstacle to linking the canal network between north and south Belgium. The first canal project completed in 1832 involved 55 locks over a distance of 60km/37mi. This canal soon proved to be too small and following further enlargements in the 19th century it was decided to modernize the waterway in 1937. The work lasted from 1947 to 1968 and reduced the number of locks to 10. The centerpiece of the canal is the sloping lock of Ronquières.

Barges up to a total of 1,350 tons enter one of two tanks up to 91m/298ft long and 12m/39ft wide (water depth 3.7m/12ft; max. weight 5,700 tons), which are pulled or lowered on rails on 59 axles with 236 rollers by 8 steel cables (55mm diameter). The basins are moved independently of each other as they are counterbalanced by 5,200 ton weights. The height difference of 68m/223ft is resolved over a distance of 1,432m/1,566yds in about 90 minutes. The entire complex is dominated by a 154m/505ft-high control tower with a viewing platform at 139m/456ft.

There are boat excursions to the lock.