The Spanish Habsburgs attempt to prevent ship traffic on the River Rhine from reaching the Dutch Republic in order to damage the Dutch economy. Plans are also made to divert water from the Rhine to lands under Spanish control, to dry up downstream cities in Holland. The first stage is a canal between the Rhine and Meuse, between the cities of Rheinberg and Venlo. Plans for a later stage call for a connection between the Meuse and the Scheldt to circumvent the Scheldt Estuary, controlled by the Dutch. Although some 60 km is constructed, the plan fails due to changed military conditions and lack of funding. Parts of the canal are still visible in present-day Germany.
