Dating back to the 11th-century, this segment of the Canal Dunkerque-Escaut connects the coastal river Aa to the river Lys.
Medieval documents suggest that the waterway was built between 1046 and 1054 at the request of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders. It was created as part of a defensive military strategy; an intended line of defence to protect his estate from Henry III - the Holy Roman Emperor - who had already seized Lille. Its defensive and border channel functions lost importance during the Second World War due to the development of aviation.