La Belle Epoque barge

MS La Belle Epoque barge is a premium cruise ship built in Holland in 1930 as a cargo barge for timber transport. She was completely reconstructed in 1995. The hotel barge is owned and operated by European Waterways and currently cruises the Burgundy Canal in eastern France on 7-day itineraries between the homeports of Pouillenay and Tonnerre.

The barge’s original name was "Savornin Lohmann," owned by Leendert Kruijt. Growing up aboard his father’s barge, Leendert attended many different schools while traveling with his parents, often spending only a few hours in one before moving to another. In 1939, with the outbreak of World War II, the Kruijt family fled to France with the barge. La Belle Epoque became a timber carrier, transporting wood along France’s rivers and canals. Eventually, the family grew, settled ashore, and left others to operate the vessel. When the timber business ended, the cargo days of La Belle Epoque were over.

In 1993, the Kruijt family decided to sell the barge and retire. A buyer was found three years later, but Leendert resisted seeing the boat of his childhood reduced to scrap metal and planks. In 1995, European Waterways purchased the vessel, renamed her "La Belle Epoque," and transformed her into a luxury boutique hotel barge with the addition of a jacuzzi, bicycle storage, luxury cabins, and other modern amenities.

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