Le Canal du Centre

La Louvière is an industrial city of 80,000 inhabitants in Wallonia, Belgium. It is centrally located between Charleroi and Mons.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airports are in Brussels and Charleroi.

By train

Trains run to La Louvière from many destinations. The train ride from Brussels takes approximately 30 minutes. The 1 La Louvière-Centre Railway Station is located closest to the centre, while the 2 La Louvière-Sud Railway Station is located on the southern edge of the city.

By car

La Louvière is easily accessible by car, situated just off the E19 Road.

Get around

La Louvière has a local bus service.

See

les ascenseurs hydrauliques

La Louvière is an industrial city with little to attract tourists. However one aspect of this industrial heritage is particularly interesting, the Hydraulic Boat Lifts along the Canal du Centre are regarded as one of the finest industrial achievements in Europe and as such have been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The four lifts are along the canal between La Louvière and Mons they are well signposted from the main road as les ascenseurs hydrauliques. Les Cantine des Italiens near lift 1 has a small museum and offers boat trips along the canal. The pump house at lift 3 has a small exhibition and welcome center.

• 1 Worker's housing at Bois-du-Luc, Rue du Midi. Built between 1838 and 1853 to house the mine workers. One of the houses can be visited. (updated Dec 2017)

Hydraulic boat lifts

Listed according to distance from the city centre starting from the closest. The four oldest ones were built around 1900 and are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• 2 Boat Lift of Houdeng-Gougnies. 
• 3 Boat Lift of Houdeng-Aimeries. 
• 4 Boat Lift of Strépy-Bracquegnies. 
• 5 Boat Lift of Thieu. 
• 6 Boat Lift of Strépy-Thieu. The newest one. 

Guided tours in French, Dutch, and English. Advance booking is necessary.

• Italian Canteen, E19/E42, exit 21 "Le Roeulx", follow the signs "Ascenseur n°1 Cantine des Italiens"
• For Bracquegnies, E19/E42, exit 21 "Le Roeulx", follow the signs "Ascenseur n°3 Salle des Machines".

Reservation and information: "Voies d'Eau du Hainaut", Rue des Clercs 31, 7000 Mons - tel: +32 65 36-04-64 - fax: +32 65 33-57-32.

Do

There are several possibilities to hire boats to travel along the canal.

Go next

• Brussels — the national capital is a major transport hub but also boasts a number of interesting sights.
• Mons — the regional capital of the Hainaut province is nearby.