Wilhelminakanaal

The Wilhelmina Canal is a canal in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It runs from the Zuid-Willemsvaart at Laarbeek to the Amer at Geertruidenberg and is 68 kilometres long. The section from Geertruidenberg to Dongen is navigable for ships up to 1350 tons (class IV). The remaining part is considerably narrower and therefore only navigable for ships up to 650 tonnes (class II). On average, the canal is 2.30 metres deep (shallowest point: 1.90 metres) and 25 to 30 metres wide. Between Dongen and Dongenseweg, the Wilhelmina canal will be widened and deepened until around 2023 so that ships up to 1,350 tonnes can reach Tilburg.

The first plans for a canal that connects Tilburg and Eindhoven to the Meuse River date back to 1794, but it was not until 1910 that digging began.

The opening in 1923 was not very successful. This was due to the fact that Rijkswaterstaat was responsible for the 60 kilometres of canal between Oosterhout and Aarle-Rixtel, and the Tilburg Piushaven was the responsibility of the municipality. No agreement could be reached about the costs and organisational aspects of the opening.