Channel of Oranje

The Canal of Oranje (in Dutch Oranjekanaal ) is a channel Dutch of Drenthe.

Geography

The Channel of Oranje connects the Drentsche Hoofdvaart close to Hoogersmilde to the Canal Van Echteren close to Klazienaveen. It crosses the province of the North-West to south-east. It has a 48 km length. Between the two extremities of the channel there is a unevenness of approximately 7 meters. Consequently, four lock S were built in the channel, of which 3 exist always nowadays.

The channel has two branches in dead end, the Borgerzijtak and the Odoornerzijtak. The section in the south of Emmen is also called Bladderswijk .

On the channel the villages of Oranje are located (of which the channel borrowed the name), Hijken, Orvelte, Wezuperbrug, Schoonoord, Odoornerveen, 'T Haantje, Westenesch and the town of Emmen.

History

The channel was built between 1853 and 1861 to disenclose the area of Tourbière located at the west of Odoorn and that of the Bargervenen in the east of Emmen.

The Borgerzijtak and the Odoornerzijtak were dug with an aim of connecting the Channel of Oranje to two other channels, the Canal of Buinen with Schoonoord and the Canal of Weerdinge. However, these connections never were completely carried out, because one fear the escape of water of the channel towards the area in the east of the Hondsrug, of lower altitude. The high cost of the lock S necessary to control the distribution of water made that this project was abandoned.

Navigation

The number of boats borrowing the Channel of Oranje was lower than the forecasts. After the Second world war, the property of the channel passed to the Dutch state, because the costs of maintenance became too heavy for DVMKM , the private company of the exploitation of the channels of Drenthe. Nowadays, the channel belongs to the province of Drenthe.

In 1976, the channel was displaced. Since this date, there is no more professional navigation on the channel.

Source

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