An inclined plane is quicker, and wastes less water, than a flight of canal locks, but is more costly to install and run. Jean-François Gendebien, a very prominent Belgian politician (although Belgium was then called the Southern Netherlands and was not independent) supported the idea, though finances had the last say in the matter, resulting in locks being chosen over inclined planes. Today's canal is actually the fourth version. The first version, built from 1827 to 1832, has a gauge of only . Just over 20 years later, 1854, work began to create a "large gauge" canal (today's medium gauge) of on certain sections, which was completed in 1857. Ambitious enlargements began again with the lock at Flanders' Gate (Porte de Flandre) in Brussels, which was expanded to a gauge of 600–800 t (590–790 L/T/660–880 S/T). By 1933, all locks downstream of Clabecq were modified to a capacity of . The last major improvement to the canal was the addition of the Class IV, 1350 tonne inclined plane at Ronquières, just uphill of Lock #5 at Ittre. The inclined plane is considered a masterpiece of civil engineering, while the lock has a rise of , one of the highest in Belgium. Life Around the Canal As Belgian industry began to flourish in the city of Brussels, the land surrounding the canal became increasingly important and diverse. Two very prominent trade routes crossed paths in the valley of Brussels along the waterways, bringing in large numbers of merchants to lower Brussels. One of the major trade routes was from the Rhineland to Flanders, while the other one was from Antwerp to Wallonia. This area along the water was a booming marketplace crucial to the up-rise of urbanisation, and in turn modernisation of the city. After a period of rapid industrialisation that took place sometime between the 1750s and 1780s, life around the canal expanded at very high rates. The canal was state of the art; the connection of waterways and roads allowed this area to become a centre of activity. The growth of international and domestic trade coupled with an increase in capital investment from wealthy landowners and merchants produced tons of jobs in the canal area. After this, the city showed no signs of slowing down on its journey to becoming one of the most influential cities in all of Europe. By 1930, Brussels population was up to over 200,000,