Elblag Canal
Encyclopedia
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, or Warmia-Masuria Province , is a voivodeship in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn...
, 80.5 km in length, which runs southward from Lake Drużno
Druzno
Drużno is a body of water historically considered a lake in northern Poland on the east side of the Vistula delta, near the city of Elbląg. As it is currently not deep enough to qualify as a lake hydrologically and receives some periodic inflow of sea water from the Vistula Lagoon along the Elbląg...
(connected by the river Elbląg
Elblag River
The Elbląg is a river in northwest Poland connecting Lake Drużno with the Vistula Lagoon. The city of Elbląg is situated on the river.Tributaries include:*Fiszewka*Kumiela*Tina...
to the Vistula Lagoon
Vistula Lagoon
The Vistula Lagoon is a fresh water lagoon on the Baltic Sea separated from Gdańsk Bay by the Vistula Spit. It is sometimes known as the Vistula Bay or Vistula Gulf. The modern German name, Frisches Haff, is derived from an earlier form, Friesisches Haff. Both this term and the earlier Polish...
), to the river Drwęca
Drweca
The Drwęca is a river in northern Poland and a tributary of the Vistula river near Toruń, forming a part of the city's administrative boundary. It has a length of 207 km and a basin area of 5,344 km², all in Poland.Towns:...
and lake Jeziorak
Jeziorak
Jeziorak is a lake in the Iława Lakeland in Warmia-Masuria, Poland. Its area is 3,219 ha . It is 27.45 km long and 2.4 km wide. Maximum depth is 13 m. It is the longest lake in Poland, and ranks 6th by area....
. It can accommodate small vessels up to 50 tons displacement. The difference in water levels approaches 100 m, and is overcome using locks and a remarkable system of tracks between lakes.
Today it is used mainly for recreational purposes. It is considered one of the most significant monuments related to the history of technology and was listed by Unesco
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
as a memorial to world culture inheritances. In Poland it has recently been named one of Seven Wonders of Poland
Seven Wonders of Poland
The Seven Wonders of Poland is a list of cultural wonders located in Poland.The creation of the list was supported by the newspaper Rzeczpospolita. Initially over 400 national monuments were listed by internet users as candidates, however in the second round of selections a board of experts...
.
History
The canal was designed in 1825-1844 by Georg SteenkeGeorg Steenke
Georg Jakob Steenke was a German architect and a königlicher Baurat of the Kingdom of Prussia...
, carrying out the commission given by the King of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
. Construction began in 1844. The difference in height over a 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) section of the route between the lakes was too great for building traditional locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
; an ingenious system of inclined planes
Canal inclined plane
An inclined plane is a system used on some canals for raising boats between different water levels. Boats may be conveyed afloat, in caissons, or may be carried in cradles or slings. It can be considered as a specialised type of cable railway....
based on those used on the Morris Canal
Morris Canal
The Morris Canal was an anthracite-carrying canal that incorporated a series of water-driven inclined planes in its course across northern New Jersey in the United States. It was in use for about a century — from the late 1820s to the 1920s....
was employed instead, though the canal includes a few locks as well. There were originally four inclined planes with a fifth added later, replacing five wooden locks. Built under the name Oberländischer Kanal (Upper land Canal) and situated in the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, it was opened on the 29 October 1860. Since 1945 the canal is now in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. After wartime damage was repaired, it was restored to operation in 1948 and is now used for tourism.
Would-be Tourists might take note, in order to not be disappointed, the canal tours do not re-open after the winter season until May 1.
The Inclined Planes
The canal worked independently of other waterways and as a result the boats were designed within the limits of the inclines. The boats had a maximum length of 24.48m, a maximum width of 2.98m and a maximum draught of 1.1m, they carried loads of about 50 tonnes.
The inclines all consist of two parallel rail tracks with a gauge of 3.27m. Boats are carried on carriages which run on these rails. The inclines rise from the lower level of the canal to a summit and then down a second shorter incline to the upper canal level. The first part of the main incline and the short upper incline were both built at a gradient of 1:24. A carriage is lowered down the incline to counterbalance an upward moving carriage. Once the downward moving carriage has reached the summit and started down the main incline its weight helps pull up the upward moving carriage. This allowed the slope of the incline for this section to be built at a higher gradient of 1:12.
See also
- Augustów CanalAugustów CanalThe Augustów Canal is a cross-border canal built in the 19th century in the present-day Podlaskie Voivodeship of northeastern Poland and the Hrodna Voblast of north-western Belarus...
, linking the Vistula River with the Neman RiverNeman RiverNeman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches... - Big Chute Marine RailwayBig Chute Marine RailwayBig Chute Marine Railway is a boat lift at Lock 44 of the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario, Canada. It works on an inclined plane to carry boats in individual cradles over a change of height of about...
also carries boats in an open carriage instead of a water filled caisson. - Boat liftBoat liftA boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock and the canal inclined plane....
External links
- Official webpage
- An Overland Canal Some old photos of the lift from 1937
- Photo gallery of the canal
- Warsaw Voice article
- http://www.palinstravels.co.uk/book-4299A trip on the Elbląg Canal described by Michael PalinMichael PalinMichael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
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