In the Dutch province of Limburg, residents had the rare chance this weekend to walk on the bottom of the drained Juliana canal.
It was a special day for 3,600 residents of Limburg as they set foot on the bottom of the Juliana Canal. For months, they had observed the large-scale construction work from a distance, but yesterday, they were given the rare opportunity to walk through the drained canal themselves.
Rijkswaterstaat, the executive agency of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, is overseeing a major project to deepen and widen the Juliana Canal, so that larger vessels can use it.
The canal, which has been in use for 90 years, is no longer suitable for modern shipping needs. The upgrades will allow passage for ships up to 190 meters in length, over 11 meters in width, and with a maximum draught of 3.5 meters.
To facilitate the work, engineers built a dam at Berg aan de Maas, enabling 1.9 billion liters of water to be gradually drained through the lock at Born. Over a four-kilometer stretch, the canal was left dry, creating an extraordinary landscape that visitors were eager to explore.
Tickets for the open day quickly sold out. Those who attended expressed awe at the scale of the project. “It’s quite exciting and very impressive,” one visitor noted. Another remarked on how the canal appeared much larger and deeper when viewed from the bottom rather than from a bridge.
For some, the visit carried a personal significance. One man shared that his father had helped construct the canal decades ago, making the experience of walking through it particularly special. “The fact that I can walk through it myself after so many years is very meaningful,” he said.
Despite some hoping to come across historic treasures, the drained canal yielded few surprises. “We found nothing of real value,” explained Suzanne Maas of Rijkswaterstaat. “Just an old car, lots of discarded bicycles, and even a safe that had already been broken into.”
As the project progresses, excitement builds for its completion this spring, when ships will once again navigate the upgraded waterway. Some visitors are already looking ahead to the moment when the water returns. “You have to experience this once,” one man said. “And I also want to see the water come back—but that won’t be until April.”
For now, those who attended the open day can say they walked where ships usually sail, a truly unique experience that won’t happen again for generations.
