Archives and History of Waterways, expecially in the Province of Hainaut, in the 19th to 20th century

This contribution aims to offer an overview of public and private records related to the study of waterways in Belgium, more particularly in the province of Hainaut in the 19th and 20th centuries. The focus is mainly put on public and private archival documents preserved in the State Archives of Belgium. Many of these archive collections are not yet in widespread use and poorly valued, mainly because they were only recently catalogued, or even filed, in the State Archive. This non comprehensive study demonstrates, however, the diversity and the richness of the documentation relative to waterways housed in the State Archives. In-depth research of these archive resources would enable significant progress with knowledge on economic, social and technical history of canals and waterways.