Klodnica Canal
Encyclopedia
The Kłodnicki Canal is a canal
along the Kłodnica River in Upper Silesia
, Poland
between the Oder
River and Gliwice
. Constructed when the territory was part of Prussian
Silesia
, it was originally known as the Klodnitz Canal .
Designed by John Baildon
, an engineer from Scotland
and Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden
, Director of the High Mining Office in Breslau (Wrocław), the canal was built between 1792 and 1812. It had a length of about 46 km (28.6 mi) and an altitude difference of about 49 metres (160.8 ft). Because the Kłodnica (Klodnitz) was not navigable, a canal was needed to provide transportation for the flourishing coal
and ore mining, as well as the metallurgy
industry in the Upper Silesia
region.
The depth of the canal and the design of the locks
allowed the use of vessels of up to 50 tons of payload. However, construction of rail transport
facilities connecting the Upper Silesian coalfields eroded the importance of the waterway. The freight volume on the canal in 1847 was 70,000 tons, but shipments dropped to only 4,400 tons by 1865. Between 1888 and 1893, the canal was expanded to allow the passage of vessels up to 100 tons load and 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) draft. However the waterway did not regain its importance.
The Klodnitz Canal facility was replaced by the Gleiwitz (Gliwice) Canal
, built from 1935-1939. The territory became part of Poland in 1945 after World War II
.
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:...
along the Kłodnica River in Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
, 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...
between the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
River and Gliwice
Gliwice
Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Gliwice is the west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
. Constructed when the territory was part of Prussian
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...
Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
, it was originally known as the Klodnitz Canal .
Designed by John Baildon
John Baildon
John Baildon was a Scottish pioneer in metallurgy in continental Europe.Baildon was born in Larbert, Stirlingshire. In 1793, he came to Prussian Silesia on the invitation of Friedrich von Reden...
, an engineer from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden
Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden
Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden was a German pioneer in mining and metallurgy. He was born in Hamelin in the Electorate of Hanover and died in Michelsdorf in Prussian Silesia.- Life :...
, Director of the High Mining Office in Breslau (Wrocław), the canal was built between 1792 and 1812. It had a length of about 46 km (28.6 mi) and an altitude difference of about 49 metres (160.8 ft). Because the Kłodnica (Klodnitz) was not navigable, a canal was needed to provide transportation for the flourishing coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and ore mining, as well as the metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
industry in the Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
region.
The depth of the canal and the design of the 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...
allowed the use of vessels of up to 50 tons of payload. However, construction of rail transport
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
facilities connecting the Upper Silesian coalfields eroded the importance of the waterway. The freight volume on the canal in 1847 was 70,000 tons, but shipments dropped to only 4,400 tons by 1865. Between 1888 and 1893, the canal was expanded to allow the passage of vessels up to 100 tons load and 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) draft. However the waterway did not regain its importance.
The Klodnitz Canal facility was replaced by the Gleiwitz (Gliwice) Canal
Gliwice Canal
The Gliwice Canal is a canal connecting the Oder River to the city of Gliwice in Silesian Voivodeship , Poland...
, built from 1935-1939. The territory became part of Poland in 1945 after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.