Until the eleventh century, Duisburg was located directly on the Rhine, but after the river's course changed, the Hanseatic city lost its most important asset. Traders left, and Duisburg was taken over by farmers and monks.
On Monday, January 1, 1872, the canal between the Leie and Roeselare was opened to shipping traffic. However, plans to extend the canal to Ostend or Nieuwpoort remained a dead letter.
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On the occasion of International Art Nouveau Day, celebrated each year on June 10, a look at how this ornate architectural movement found its way into the most unlikely of places like coal mines, power stations, and railway yards and the long, sometimes heartbreaking battles to save what remains.
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