This old shipping tunnel was constructed in the mid-19th century to overcome the enormous elevation differences on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal. The tunnel was put into service in 1885. The tunnel, just over 1 kilometer long, was built to replace the La Bête Refaite tunnel, which had become too small for the growing shipping area. The tunnel is 8 meters wide, but 3 meters of that is occupied by a towpath along which the horses walked that had to pull the ships forward. After the construction of the Ronquières Inclined Plane, the tunnel became redundant and was closed off on both sides with large metal gates. Since then, it has become a home for bats.