Description of the attraction
The Augustow Canal is a monument of hydraulic engineering architecture of the first half of the 19th century. The canal is 102.8 kilometers long and connects the Vistula and Neman rivers. Since 2008, the Augustow Canal has been in a UNESCO specially protected area.
The construction of the canal began in 1824 and lasted 15 years. The Russian Empire planned to create another waterway trade route to the Baltic Sea, bypassing the borders of Prussia, because the Berlin government imposed very high transit customs duties.
The project of the canal was made by the engineer-lieutenant colonel Ignatius Prandzinsky, the construction was supervised by the lieutenant colonel Jan Pavel Lelevel. The canal was built according to the latest science and technology of the time and included a unique system of canals and locks. 19 culverts, 18 locks, 21 chambers and 14 bridges were built along the waterway. At that time, the cost of building the Augustow Canal cost a very substantial amount of 1.5 million silver.
At the moment, the Augustow Canal passes through two countries: Poland and Belarus. In Poland, the canal was renovated long ago and is used for tourist purposes. On Polish territory there are 80 km and 15 locks. There are 22, 2 kilometers and 3 locks in Belarus: Nemnovo, Dombrovka and Valkushak. The reconstruction of the canal began only in the 1990s. Now the canal is used for tourist cruises and active water tourism. The water in the canal is very clean, which has led to the multiplication of valuable species of trout and grayling fish. Fishing in the canal and adjacent lakes and rivers is gaining in popularity.
