Description of the attraction
The famous Corinth Canal in Greece connects the Saronic (Aegean) and Corinthian (Ionian) gulfs. A canal is dug through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, thus separating the Peloponnese from mainland Greece.
The idea of constructing a similar canal here was discussed in ancient times. The first written mentions of a possible construction date back to the period of the reign of the Corinthian tyrant Periander (7th century BC). Then, for various reasons, the project was abandoned and a simpler and cheaper overland portage was built (its remains can be seen near the canal today). A new round of possible construction began in 307 BC. The initiator was Demetrius Poliorketus, but the engineers whom he invited to carry out the work convinced him of the inevitability of catastrophic consequences, since the water levels in the Saronic and Corinthian gulfs were not the same.
The first major attempt to build a canal was made by Emperor Nero in the 1st century AD. Construction began in AD 67, but after the death of Nero, the costly project was abandoned. Later, some attempts were also made by Herod Atticus, the Byzantines and the Venetians, which, however, were never crowned with success.
The idea of building a canal was revived after the Greek revolution. This issue was supervised by the Greek statesman Ioannis Kapodistrias. But after calculating the estimate documentation, it became clear that this was too expensive a project for the young state and it was temporarily abandoned. After the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the Greek government passed a law authorizing the construction of the canal. In May 1882, after lengthy preparatory work, construction finally began. After many obstacles, including financial ones, 11 years later, in 1893, the Corinth Canal was put into operation.
The Corinth Canal is 6.4 km long, 8 m deep, and 21.3 m wide at its base and approximately 25 meters above sea level. The sides of the canal are connected by a railway bridge and three automobile ones.
Today, due to the insufficient width of the channel and, as a consequence, the impossibility of passage through it of large modern ocean-going ships, it has lost its important economic importance. Today, the Corinth Canal is mainly used by various tourist boats.
