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Great Continental Railway Journeys - Season 9 Episode 9 - Brussels to La Louvière
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00:01I'm embarking on a new series of railway journeys, exploring Europe's most
00:08beautiful and historic regions. Oh, we're about to set off.
00:14From Belgium. Oh, I'm loving this.
00:20To Hungary. Oh, this is amazing. And the islands of Sardinia.
00:29Fantastic. And Corsica. I'll enjoy nature, history, culture, and fun in some of Europe's
00:40most enchanting places. I am looking forward to a tremendous railway adventure.
01:18My railway journey in Belgium continues as I bend back towards Brussels, the capital. I'll
01:24discover how Napoleon Bonaparte, an invader in Belgium, eventually met his Waterloo. And
01:31talking of foreign occupation, I'll investigate the brutal colonisation by Belgium of Congo,
01:37and the legacies that hang over till today. I'll view late 19th century Belgian civil engineering.
01:45How do you raise a barge from one canal to another that's higher? The key is not to use locks.
01:57Starting in Brussels, I traveled across Plateau and Plain in the Flanders region to the coast.
02:04Now I'll continue south into Wallonia with its rolling hills and vast forests. Using the impressive
02:11rail network, I'll explore celebrated cities and landmarks to discover how history has shaped
02:17this country and its peoples. This morning, I've returned to Brussels to reopen a dark chapter
02:31of Belgium's past. On the eastern edge of the city is the small suburban town of Tervouren. Its
02:48elaborately landscaped park, stretching over 500 acres, was once the setting for a celebration
02:55of the Belgian empire. In modern times, the atrocities associated with imperialism have been
03:03thoroughly exposed, and colonialism has been criticised. I've come to a place where, at the end of the
03:1119th century, King Leopold II was proud of what his country, and in particular what he himself, was doing in
03:19the Congo.
03:22My guide to this historic imperial site is curator and anthropologist, Dr. Bambi Koopans.
03:31Bambi, we're about 10 miles outside the centre of Brussels. Tell me about the origin of this tremendous palace.
03:37The original name was the Palace of the Colonies, and it was constructed by Leopold II in 1897.
03:44There was a world exhibition taking place in Brussels at the time, and he saw that as a good opportunity
03:51to organise a colonial exhibition here, which was basically a tool for colonial propaganda.
03:58King Leopold II seized the Congo as his personal possession in 1885, and imperial rule became infamous for its brutality.
04:08In 1908, he was forced to hand it over to the state of Belgium.
04:13More than 50 years later, the Democratic Republic of Congo finally declared independence in 1960.
04:21What was it that people could come here to see?
04:24There was an economy gallery where people could see coffee, cotton, tropical woods, and ivory.
04:32There were also a great many objects from Congo.
04:36The major attraction were Congolese villages, which were reconstructed in the park,
04:40and 267 Congolese men, women, and children were literally put on display.
04:46They were not used to the climate, and seven of them died.
04:51They were treated very poorly by the visitors.
04:54This was a human show?
04:56This was a human show where they had to enact scenes of everyday life.
05:00It seems that at the end of the 19th century, there were few ethical qualms amongst the public.
05:05Yes, people not only found it quite normal, but found it very interesting as well.
05:11There were between one and two million visitors.
05:16Delighted by its popularity, Leopold II transformed his temporary exhibition into a huge permanent collection.
05:24In 1910, it was displayed for the first time in this grand new building,
05:29the Museum of the Belgian Congo.
05:33My goodness, Bambi, an enormous domed palace.
05:37Well, at the time, they really had the ambition to reconstruct Congo,
05:43which is roughly 80 times as big as Belgium, under a single rooftop.
05:48The collections are really huge.
05:51Attitudes have changed a lot in the last hundred years.
05:54So the objects that were collected with colonial attitudes, have those been swept away?
05:59No.
06:00Most of the objects are still in the museum's collections.
06:04A small number that was restricuted during the 1970s.
06:08That was an explicit amount of the then president of Congo.
06:12But in recent years, we've started exhibiting them in a different way,
06:17by no longer hiding the ways and the context in which they were collected.
06:27Following a five-year review of its collections and a renovation including a newly built entrance,
06:33the renamed Museum of Africa opened its doors again in 2018,
06:37with a mission to explain Belgium's colonial past.
06:43Tell me about the conduct of the Belgians in Congo.
06:47The violence was excessive even by the standards of the time.
06:52There was wild rubber in Congo.
06:54Rubber exploitation was accompanied by massive human rights abuses.
06:59Villages were burnt down.
07:01It is now estimated that perhaps five million Congolese lost their lives.
07:07A lot died from starvation, from sickness.
07:11An increasing number of people thought that this was really too much.
07:16And so there was international protest, but national protest as well.
07:23When do you think Belgium came to terms with its colonial past?
07:27Or has it yet come to terms?
07:29I think most Belgians are now aware of the fact that unspeakable atrocities
07:35were committed under Leopold II's reign.
07:39But a lot remain convinced that things were much better under Belgian colonial rule.
07:44And it's true that there weren't the same level of atrocities,
07:48but there was still forced labour.
07:50People could still be whipped.
07:52Congolese perspective on that period is much more negative than the Belgian perspective.
08:00As well as reassessing its original artefacts, the museum has commissioned new exhibits.
08:06Where a statue of Leopold II once stood are two new sculptures by Congolese artist Aimee Mpane.
08:15Hello Aimee.
08:16Hello.
08:17Enchanté.
08:18Enchanté, bienvenue.
08:20And this is your piece of art?
08:23Oui.
08:23Expliquez-moi un peu.
08:24J'ai pensé à un concept qui touche à la décolonisation.
08:29Il y en a à la restauration, la réparation.
08:32La tête comme la tête d'un Africain, d'un Congolais,
08:35et qui pense autrement, qui voit le futur, un avenir meilleur, respect mutuel.
08:41Moi, l'autonomie.
08:43Et celui-ci?
08:44Le crâne de Luzinga qui a une histoire très très triste dans ses rapports à l'époque coloniale.
08:51Contre-moi l'histoire, s'il vous plaît.
08:54Luzinga était un chef à l'est du Congo qui gérait son petit village,
08:59qui s'était lancé un défi avec un général Storm, un général belge à l'époque coloniale.
09:06Et il voulait protéger son peuple et on a coupé la tête.
09:10Le général Storm a amené la tête, les crânes.
09:13Ces crânes, actuellement, se trouvent au musée des sciences naturelles.
09:17Pour moi, c'était un truc très emblétique, c'est Luzinga.
09:20Et donc, quelle est la relation entre le crâne et cette tête ici?
09:25Le visiteur qui rentre et se retrouve ici,
09:28sera toujours confronté entre l'histoire très triste et l'avenir.
09:34Émile, les works de l'art sont extraordinaires.
09:37Merci beaucoup.
09:38Merci beaucoup.
10:07BELGIA
10:34C'est parti.
11:05BELGIA
11:26BELGIA
11:27BELGIA
11:53BELGIA
12:23BELGIA
12:53BELGIA
13:17BELGIA
13:23BELGIA
13:23On 18th June 1815, in this quiet rural spot, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands,
13:31Britain's legendary military commander faced France's most famous general and emperor.
13:36The decisive battle followed 23 years of warfare between France and its European rivals.
13:49Today, the battlefield's key sites are preserved as a museum, covering almost 50 acres.
13:55At Hougoumont Farm, just ahead of Wellington's front line, British and allied forces came under fierce attack.
14:04Arnaud.
14:05Hello Michael.
14:06Arnaud Sprangl is a museum guide and battle re-enactor.
14:10I can't tell you how excited I am to be here at the site of the Battle of Waterloo.
14:15As a child, I used to play with my brother.
14:18We had little bottle soldiers that looked just like you.
14:21You're the imperial guard, aren't you?
14:23Yeah, I am.
14:24How did the battle begin?
14:26The Battle of Waterloo begins at approximately 11.30, here at Hougoumont, a fortified farm.
14:34The French were attacking from the woods.
14:36Yes.
14:37Today, we can only see the last chestnut trees, but it was a massive wood.
14:42What was the tactical advantage to the British side that they had the farmhouse in?
14:47The farmhouse was like a fortified position to break all the assault waves from the French.
14:56Right.
14:56With elite soldiers inside.
14:58There were three fortified farms.
15:01The other two farms were taken by the French.
15:04Hougoumont holds all the day long.
15:07So, that was a key position for Wellington.
15:12Protected by a high stone wall, his forces defended the farm estate against heavy bombardment.
15:19At one point, around 30 French soldiers broke through the North Gate, only to be swiftly killed by Wellington's troops.
15:31Oh.
15:34It's actually very moving to enter the farm.
15:37This is really where you can feel the history of the Battle of Waterloo.
15:42Yes.
15:42The French shot against Hougoumont with canister and set fire to the buildings where there were inside a lot of
15:49wounded soldiers.
15:51The farm's chateau and many outbuildings were consumed by flames.
15:56But its small stone chapel survived and has become a place of remembrance.
16:05It's almost suddenly like being transported to Britain because we have all the poppies.
16:09Our symbol of commemoration of people killed in wars.
16:13And it's marvelous really, isn't it?
16:15I mean, even though this was more than 200 years ago,
16:18we still value those who showed so much bravery on one of the most heroic days in British military history.
16:31Less than a mile to the northeast is the site of the main battlefield.
16:37The museum offers visitors the chance to try out period weapons in military uniform.
16:43For one day only, I'm gunning for the French.
16:50Michael, let me introduce you our artilleryman Pierre.
16:55Artilleryman, a great pleasure.
16:56What is this cannon?
16:58Well, may I present to you Le Brutale.
17:00This is the smallest cannon used by the French artillery.
17:02Would you like to see it in action?
17:03I certainly would, since I'm dressed as a French soldier.
17:06Artiller, have a post!
17:07Exactly.
17:11So the first step, Michael, would be the cleaning procedure.
17:14So this instrument is known as a warmer.
17:16To go inside the cannon, to scrape out any debris.
17:20I saw more faster, Michael.
17:21Ah!
17:22Shots per minute.
17:24Okay, done.
17:25And the second step, with the ramming rod.
17:27So this piece of wood is used to press the charge all the way to the bottom of the cannon.
17:34Perfect, Michael.
17:37Yes, ready!
17:39Attention, fire!
17:40Fire!
17:45Fire!
17:46Live the Emperor!
17:47Live the Emperor!
18:00Live the Emperor!
18:01So was Wellington able to use tactics, the battlefield, in order to counter that disadvantage?
18:08Well, Wellington will use what is known as the counter-slope technique.
18:12So his artillery was positioned on a higher ground, his infantry protected by the terrain as well.
18:17So, French artillery was made able to blast its shots over this road.
18:21They would fire straight shots.
18:23And the terrain as well was influenced by the weather.
18:26It is raining on the 17th June at night, so on the 18th it's completely soggy and cannons were dragged
18:32into the mud.
18:32The time lost in the morning will allow the Prussian army to gain several kilometres.
18:37And to be able to join the Battle of Waterloo-Lead.
18:41After nine hours of fighting, the might of Wellington's Allied forces, strengthened by the arrival of the Prussian army,
18:48finally overwhelmed Napoleon's troops, and they were forced to retreat.
18:54This 40-metre-high memorial to the victory, the Lion's Mound, was opened in 1826 by King William I of
19:02the Netherlands,
19:03on the spot where his soldier son, the Prince of Orange, was injured.
19:08Overlooking the former battlefield, a lion symbolises the victory of the monarchies over the once mighty Emperor of France,
19:16which restored Europe's peace.
19:18It's estimated that 48,000 British, Allied, Prussian and French troops lost their lives or were injured here that day.
19:29Wellington, surveying the slaughter of soldiers, commented,
19:33Nothing, except a battle lost, can be half so melancholy as a battle won.
19:40Neither he nor, of course, Napoleon would fight another campaign.
19:44Although Wellington did engage in political warfare, becoming Prime Minister in 1828.
19:56I'm continuing my journey to Thiers in Einault, the most western of Wallonia's five provinces.
20:02This region was the centre of the country's industrial revolution.
20:07And Wallonia's first railway, carrying passengers and goods towards Antwerp and the capital, opened here in 1841.
20:16As the economy grew, the area's waterways, connecting to those of neighbouring countries, also played an important role.
20:25Running through the village of Thiers, the Canal du Centre, built in the 1880s, provided a vital link.
20:35If you've ever been on a barging holiday, you know how time-consuming it is to pass through the locks
20:41that enable your boat to change level.
20:44When, in the 19th century, the opportunity arose to connect the two great rivers of Belgium, the Scheldt and the
20:51Meuse, with a height difference of 88 metres,
20:55a much more imaginative and indeed astonishing engineering solution was required, which is still admired to this day.
21:06This hydraulically powered boat lift is one of four ranged in sequence along the canal.
21:12They are part of Belgium's engineering heritage, the only working examples of their kind in the world today.
21:19Engineer and expert advisor to Wallonia's public services is Marc Michaud.
21:25Marc, I see before me this fantastic structure.
21:29What was the problem that had to be solved? What were the goods that needed to be transported from this
21:33region?
21:35It was very needed to have a canal between two main regions, industrial regions in Belgium.
21:43One which is called Borinage, near the town of Mons, and the region of Centre, around the town of Charleroi.
21:52Both of them produced coal and steel also.
21:58The issue that you had to deal with was the difference in levels between the waterways.
22:02Why did they not use locks?
22:05A lock consumes a lot of water. There was no enough water. There was no rivers to feed the canal.
22:10And there was also another problem. This region has a lot of coal mines.
22:15So, lots of working underground and therefore a danger of subsidence.
22:20Yes, yes. It was well known at the time that you cannot have a possibility to build several locks.
22:29Instead, the lifts, powered by water pressure, would raise and lower barges, which float in huge watertight containers, known as
22:38caissons, in just a few minutes.
22:44We have an enormous cradle at the top there, and another enormous cradle down at the bottom.
22:50And you put a boat in one of them, and the balance is achieved by the water.
22:55Indeed. It's a simple hydraulic balance. And if you have a boat going up or a boat going down, it's
23:03the same.
23:03So, going back to school now, in my mind, this is Archimedes' principle, that for an item to float, it
23:10will displace its own weight of water.
23:12Yeah. And therefore, a boat in water weighs the same as a body of water without a boat in it.
23:19They weigh the same.
23:21Had this been done anywhere else in the world before?
23:25Yeah. This technology comes from England.
23:29Really? Yeah. The designer of this high-technology hydraulic work is Edwin Clarke.
23:37Clarke had found fame in 1875 with his Anderton boat lift between the River Weaver and Cheshire's Trent and Mersey
23:45Canal.
23:46The first of his Belgian designs was unveiled by King Leopold II in 1888.
23:53I find it extraordinary that your four lifts, you know, to the end of the 19th century, are all working.
24:01How is this the case?
24:02Because they have been, well, maintained. In fact, in Belgium, in the Walloon region, it was the first monument which
24:09has been classified by UNESCO. The first one, before cathedral, before castle.
24:13So, this is the UNESCO monument.
24:18These days, the four lifts are still in operation, but are used only for pleasure craft, not freight.
24:27Ah. At last, we reached the top. A fantastic view over your machinery room.
24:34Machinery room, yeah.
24:34This is number three. That's number two. And then there's another one beyond that.
24:38Yeah.
24:38And this is the room where it's all controlled from.
24:43OK.
24:43Let's go.
24:48Let's go.
24:48Hi.
24:49Hi, Mark.
24:49This looks like a ship from the 19th century, doesn't it?
24:52When he moves this volant, this wheel, he opens a central valve, which is 25 meters below, so that the
25:01balance can move.
25:03He's going to make maybe ten rotations. How many rotations, how many rotations you have?
25:09I've never counted, but there are a lot.
25:11I've never counted how many, but it's a lot of them.
25:17This is a fantastic thing to see,
25:19to believe that today we can see muscle power
25:23operating this enormous machinery.
25:25And it's going quite fast.
25:27It's very quick.
25:27The caisson on my left here is sinking.
25:30Of course, the caisson on the right will be rising.
25:35Merci, Bach.
25:40Following the Second World War,
25:42Belgium invested heavily in its waterways
25:44to make them suitable for heavier barges,
25:47and its network remains important for transporting freight today.
25:51In 2002, this huge concrete structure
25:55on a new canal running parallel to the original
25:58allowed shipping to bypass the four 19th-century lifts.
26:04I see the relationship between what you've just shown me
26:07and what I'm seeing now, 100 years of progress.
26:11Absolutely astonishing.
26:13Standing at 335 feet high,
26:17the Strepitier funicular lift is the largest in Europe.
26:21Here we see the enormous concrete weights
26:25which counterbalance this basin.
26:28Full container weights approximately 8,000 tons.
26:32And we can elevate such big ships of 73 meters high.
26:38This is engineering on the grand scale.
26:41Does this make you very happy?
26:42Does this make your engineer's heart beat?
26:44Yeah, of course.
26:59In the 19th and 20th centuries,
27:02when the two ship lifts were built,
27:05imperialism was a dominant idea amongst Europeans.
27:09The emperor of the French, Napoleon Bonaparte,
27:13occupied Egypt and marched on Moscow until he was defeated at Waterloo.
27:18The king of the Belgians,
27:21motivated perhaps by a combination of idealism and greed,
27:25sponsored the colonisation of Congo.
27:28Now there is broad agreement that whatever the history of imperialism,
27:34it is not for today.
27:36And yet there's a war in Europe as Russia asserts its rights over Ukraine.
27:49Next time, this is one of the strangest spectacles I've ever seen.
27:55And I must say, one of the most exciting.
28:02It's like a book.
28:03So every layer is a chapter.
28:05You just have to know how to read it.
28:08That's the problem.
28:12Absolutely delicious.
28:14Only available on tap in this one place on the entire planet.
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