After the resurrection of The Netherlands in 1813 and during the start of the
Industrial Revolution, the city fathers of Eindhoven felt a need to connect the city to the existing waterways. This implied the need for a new canal, due to the distance to the
Zuid-Willemsvaart. The
Belgian Revolution delayed the construction of this canal, but a permit for a canal was issued in 1843. The permit was for a canal that crossed the
Kleine Dommel and the
Goorloop, which necessitated the construction of ducts for those streams. In addition to those ducts ten wooden bridges were constructed, high enough to let
boats pass underneath. Finally, a
winding hole was laid in
Tongelre and a
sluice was installed at the canal mouth in the Zuid-Willemsvaart. The completed canal was opened for use in 1846. The main use of the canal was in the transport of heavy goods: machinery for the industry as well as
bulk cargoes of
charcoal and
rough wool, plus wood for the
matchmaking and
cigarbox factories. Later on a
steam connection to
Rotterdam was added, with the first steam boat traversing the canal in 1862. This brought new industry to Eindhoven around the harbor, such as the old Eindhoven gas works. This in turn inspired more infrastructure, including a
tram bridge near Mierlo (the
foundations of which are still visible). The Eindhoven Canal was widened and modernized between 1929 and 1934. After
World War II the internal shipping of the country (including to Eindhoven) temporarily rebounded. But the rise of motorized road transport soon and permanently killed it off again and the canal was closed to commercial shipping in 1974. There were plans for a while to drain the canal and lay a motorway on its bed, but those plans were canceled in the failing economy of the times. The canal is currently a quiet nature area for recreational use and is part of the
Ecological Mainline. ==Nature and landscape==