Vliet (canal)
Encyclopedia
The Vliet is a canal
in the Netherlands, in the province of South Holland
. It starts at the Oude Rijn at Leiden and joins the Delfshavense Schie canal at Delft
. Places along its banks include Voorschoten
, Leidschendam
, Voorburg
, The Hague
and Ryswick.
The canal was dug in 47
AD
under command of Roman
general Corbulo
, who wished to connect river Rhine, of which the current Oude Rijn stream in Roman times was the main branch, to the Meuse
estuary
. It is unclear what the canal's trajectory was beyond the current city of Delft; the Delfshavense Schie canal, which connects Delft to the Oude Maas
river was not dug until 1389.
In the Middle Ages
the Vliet was an important trade link that attracted all kinds of trade, as it flowed through the heart of the County of Holland
. Windmills have been constructed alongside the Vliet, including the completely renovated mill 'De salamander' in Leidschendam
. The Vliet area was particularly attractive among richer families, who built their mansions along its banks.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
in the Netherlands, in the province of South Holland
South Holland
South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
. It starts at the Oude Rijn at Leiden and joins the Delfshavense Schie canal at Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
. Places along its banks include Voorschoten
Voorschoten
Voorschoten is a village and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a smaller town in the Randstad, enclosed by the cities of Leiden and The Hague. The municipality covers an area of 11.59 km²...
, Leidschendam
Leidschendam
Leidschendam is a town and former municipality in the province of South Holland of the Netherlands. Along with Voorburg and Stompwijk, it is part of the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg.- History :...
, Voorburg
Voorburg
Voorburg is a Dutch town and former municipality in the western part of the province of South Holland, the Netherlands. As also Leidschendam and Stompwijk, it is part of the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg. It has approximately 39,000 inhabitants....
, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
and Ryswick.
The canal was dug in 47
47
Year 47 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Vitellius...
AD
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
under command of Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
general Corbulo
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo was a Roman general and a brother-in-law of the emperor Caligula.-Descent:Corbulo was born in Italy into a senatorial family...
, who wished to connect river Rhine, of which the current Oude Rijn stream in Roman times was the main branch, to the Meuse
Meuse River
The Maas or Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
. It is unclear what the canal's trajectory was beyond the current city of Delft; the Delfshavense Schie canal, which connects Delft to the Oude Maas
Oude Maas
The Oude Maas is a distributary of the Rhine River, and a former distributary of the Maas River, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It begins at the city of Dordrecht where the Beneden Merwede river splits into the Noord River and the Oude Maas...
river was not dug until 1389.
In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the Vliet was an important trade link that attracted all kinds of trade, as it flowed through the heart of the County of Holland
County of Holland
The County of Holland was a county in the Holy Roman Empire and from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands in what is now the Netherlands. It covered an area roughly corresponding to the current Dutch provinces of North-Holland and South-Holland, as well as the islands of Terschelling, Vlieland,...
. Windmills have been constructed alongside the Vliet, including the completely renovated mill 'De salamander' in Leidschendam
Leidschendam
Leidschendam is a town and former municipality in the province of South Holland of the Netherlands. Along with Voorburg and Stompwijk, it is part of the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg.- History :...
. The Vliet area was particularly attractive among richer families, who built their mansions along its banks.