Leopold Canal (Belgium)

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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. 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.