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The canal and Zelzate Bridge
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Waiting at the bridge
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Industry along the canal
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Click on an image
to see it full-size.
The canal and Zelzate Bridge
179 KB
Waiting at the bridge
151 KB
Industry along the canal
100 KB
Zelzate is a quiet, non-descript town in the province of West Flanders, north of Gent, about 5 miles from the border with the Netherlands. It has a population of 12,000 but nothing that gains it entry into the guide books.
The town is on the banks of the canal which runs from Gent to Terneuzen on the Dutch coast. This is a rather larger waterway than the British concept of a canal - around 100 metres wide.The canal determines the economics of the surrounding area - heavy industry all along its banks, and the consequent pollution. Zelzate is a fairly new community which has grown up largely as a result of the local factories.
The whole community of Zelzate is divided in 2 by the canal - East and West Zelzate. The most notable feature of the town is the bridge over the canal. It opens somewhat like Tower Bridge - the road splits in 2 and is lifted up to the vertical on either side. It can be a 15-minute wait for the bridge to open, the shipping to pass through, and the bridge to close again. It therefore provides a common excuse for lateness - "Ik heb voor de brug moeten staan." (I had to wait at the bridge.) The bridge also brings the flatness of the land into sharp relief - the biggest slope for miles is the gentle slope up to Zelzate Bridge.