Canal du Centre (Belgium)

The Strépy-Thieu boat lift (French: L'ascenseur funiculaire de Strépy-Thieu) lies on a branch of the Canal du Centre in the municipality of Le Rœulx, Hainaut, Belgium. With a height difference of 73.15 metres (240.0 ft) between the upstream and downstream reaches, it was the tallest boat lift in the world upon its completion, and remained so until the Three Gorges Dam ship lift in China was completed in January 2016.

Strépy-Bracquegnies (Walloon: Sterpi-Bracgnere) is a village in Wallonia, Belgium. It is a district of the municipality of La Louvière in the province of Hainaut. It is around 6 km west of the centre of La Louvière, and around 50 km south-west of Brussels.

In the morning of 20 March 2022, a motorist drove a car through a crowd celebrating Carnival in Strépy-Bracquegnies, La Louvière, Belgium. Six people were killed and around 40 were wounded, with ten of the wounded people having very serious or even potentially fatal injuries.A crowd of 150–200 people were parading towards the centre of the village, dressed up in costumes in celebration of the Christian festival of Carnival when the car collided with the crowd in the rue des Canadiens. A TV presenter said that the vehicle "deliberately entered" the crowd, killing several people. After crashing into the crowd, the car, which was carrying two people, sped off from the scene; later being stopped by police.Six people in total were killed, including Frédéric d'Andrea, a steward for the RAAL La Louvière football club.Police denied early reports that the vehicle had been engaging in a "high-speed chase" by police at the time. While a terrorist motive was ruled out, whether or not it was intentional was at first unclear.Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said he was shocked by the incident and responded to it as "horrible news", and travelled to the village with Philippe of Belgium that day. French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his sorrow and expressed empathy to Belgium.The driver was charged with manslaughter a few days later. He confessed he had exceeded the speed limit when the crash occurred, and insisted that what had happened was an accident. Investigation indicated that the driver had been going 160 km/h while under the influence and using his mobile phone.

Thieu (Walloon: Tî) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Le Rœulx, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

On 27 November 2017, a Belgian passenger train ran away during recovery operations following a collision at a level crossing. After 14 kilometres (8.7 mi), it collided with a stationary train at Strépy-Bracquegnies, killing two and injuring seven. The accident was caused by a failed coupling.

Le Rœulx (French pronunciation: [lə ʁø] ; Walloon: El Rû) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Le Rœulx had a total population of 7,977. The total area is 42.80 km2 which gives a population density of 186 inhabitants per km2. The municipality consists of the following districts: Gottignies, Le Rœulx, Mignault, Thieu, and Ville-sur-Haine. The Château du Rœulx, a family seat of the Comtes de Croÿ-Rœulx, is situated near the town.

Le Rœulx Castle (French: Château du Rœulx), also known as the Château des Princes de Croÿ, or "castle of the Princes de Croÿ", is a castle in the town of Le Rœulx in the province of Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium.

The lifts on the Canal du Centre are a series of four hydraulic boat lifts near the town of La Louvière in Belgium which are classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. All four are located on the Canal du Centre in Belgium's historic sillon industriel industrial belt.

Boussoit (Walloon: Bouswa) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of La Louvière, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Houdeng-Gœgnies (Walloon: Gôgnere) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of La Louvière, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Houdeng-Aimeries (Walloon: Oudè) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of La Louvière, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The village contains two UNESCO World Heritage sites; its 16.93 m high boat lift was listed in 1998, together with the other three hydraulic boat lifts on the Canal du Centre near La Louvière, and Bois-du-Luc is a former coal mine today preserved as one of the four Walloon mining sites listed in 2012 under the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia.

The Bois-du-Luc was a coal mine in Houdeng-Aimeries, near La Louvière, in Belgium which today is preserved as an industrial heritage site. As well as the site of the headquarters of the Société des Charbonnages de Bois-du-Luc et d'Havre, the Bois du Luc was the site of the Saint Emmanuel Pit (Fosse Saint-Emmanuel) which belonged to the company. The Fosse Saint-Emmanuel was one of the oldest mines in Belgium, with recorded activity dating back to 1685. The company ceased mining in 1973. The Bois-du-Luc is particularly known for the surrounding company town (cité ouvrière) which was created for the mine works during the 19th century and is today one of the most notable surviving remnants of industrial paternalism in Belgium. It includes workers' housing which dates from the 1830s and covers approximately 2 hectares (4.9 acres). The site, run as an ecomuseum since 1983, features on the European Route of Industrial Heritage and is one of the four Walloon mining sites listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site under the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia listing.