This is the second cache of 5 around the Channel of Hoffelt.
Société du Luxembourg 1 GC2DMMF
Canal Meuse-Moselle 2 GC27W6V
Houffelter Kanal 3 GC2DKQG
Zillefabrëk 4 GC2DM44
Een Kanal den ni fierdig gebaut gouf Bonus 5 GC2DKQ7
The Channel of Hoffelt
Political situation
After Napoleon’s defeat, in 1814, the Congress of Vienna split up our country. Prussia succeeded in expanding its territory to the course of the rivers Our, Sauer and Moselle. Because of the loss of the old territories Sancta Vith and Bitburg, Luxembourg was given part of the old diocese of Liege and the greater part of the former dukedom of Bouillon as a compensation. The reduced dukedom of Luxembourg was elevated to a grand duchy. It was not to be looked upon as a was elevated to a grand duchy. It was not to be looked upon as a province of the Netherlands but as an independent state, separated from the kingdom of Holland. Only the ruler should be the same: William I was king of Holland; in Luxembourg he was grand duke.
William I wished all the parts of his kingdom to be treated equally and that all the differences would vanish. He wanted the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg to merge into one unified state. But the Dutch were given preferential treatment when something or other was decided upon, which led to unrest especially among the Belgians, and in 1830 it came to a revolution. Luxembourg, for the third time, was split up. The districts of Arlon, Bastogne, Marche, Neufchateau and Virton were added to Belgium.
The digging of the channel
In the Netherlands the economy flourished but the national reserves were limited. On the other hand Belgium and d Luxembourg were facing economic crisis, because of the heavy burden of taxation. Dutch industrialists had a wrong impression of the geological structure of Luxembourg. In those days the only means of transport was horse carriage. Easy ways of transport should become available and the only alternative transport that was already in use was transport by water. In the valley of the river Meuse John Cokerill, amongst others, had established e heavy industry and therefore, the task was to connect this valley to the other areas. This Ardennes channel had to start near Liege at 60 meter above sea level and follow the course of the river Ourthe in a climbing line along Complain, Barvaux, Durbuy and La Roche along the Herou, then to reach to Houffalize. From there, following the course of a brook, it should branch off along Cetturu, Tavigny and Buret then finally, pass the watershed oh the Meuse and the Rhine basin which is 500 meter above sea-level. A channel had to be dug from Hoffelt via Asselborn, Clervaux, to Kautenbach. The beds of the rivers Wiltz and Sauer had be deepened up to the mouth of the river Moselle near Wasserbillig (130 meter above sea-level. An unbelievable project. A channel, rising from 60 meter to 500 meters above sea-level and then again dropping to 130 meters. 218 sluices had to be built in a waterway of 261 kilometers. In 1827 the company of “Society d’Exporation du Luxembourg” obtained the concession with a capital of 6 million guilders, 2 million of which was contributed by the king. The plans drew Ingénieur Remi de Puydt, who knew the Ardennes well
The digging was divided in three parts :
- Liege-Houffalize
- Houffalize-Kautenbach
- Kautenbach-Wasserbillig
Houffalize - Kautenbach: The most difficult part, cutting through the mountain ridge between the valleys of the Meuse and the Moselle. Estimated building was 5 years.
How was this problem solved? By digging 1350 meter long (Buret), a tunnel 2528 meters long and finally, again digging 481 meters long (Hoffelt). The acquisition of the necessary land involved considerable problems. In 1828 the digging was started, on present-day Belgian territory to be precise, the connecting channel from Lac de Bernistab (near Buret) to the Meuse. About 400 Workers were brought into action. A huge enterprise, if one considers that the deep channel was dug with pickaxe and spade, no machines. The enormous quantities of soil were carried up the mountain and transported by wheelbarrow and carts. On 13 January of 1829 the digging of the tunnel near Buret was started. People worked day and night and this work progressed one meter per day. In order to speed things up, 5 passages were dug. In Hoffelt great progress was made with the digging of the channel. Part of this channel is behind you, on the right, where a garden along the channel is layed out. IN 1830 revolution broke out in Belgium, which caused the digging of the channel never to be completed. Due to the new division of the land, the works were completely stopped. The new border was drawn across the channel tunnel, which meant the end of the digging of the channel. In an inventory from 12 Decembers 1830 the following could be read; 1100 spades, 1679 iron and wooden wheel barrows, 33 carts, 1075 pickaxes a brickmaker etc. In the environment of Buret the Channel had progressed up to 1130 meters into the mountain and the first 337 meters were finished with brick. It was not until 1964 that the channel here in Hoffelt was dumped (right behind you). Hoffelt was divided into two halves for 130 year, first connected by a wooden bridge later by a dam.
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