The Masurian Canal ( pl, Kanał Mazurski, russian: Канал Мазурский, german: Masurischer Kanal) is an unfinished 50.4 km long
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
connecting the
Łyna River Łyna may refer to:
*Łyna River (Russian: Лава ''Lava'', German: ''Alle''), a river in Poland and Russia
*Łyna, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Łyna (german: Lahna) is a village in Nidzica County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern ...
in
Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast (russian: Калинингра́дская о́бласть, translit=Kaliningradskaya oblast') is the westernmost federal subject of Russia. It is a semi-exclave situated on the Baltic Sea. The largest city and administr ...
of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
(a tributary of the
Pregolya
The Pregolya or Pregola (russian: Прего́ля; german: Pregel; lt, Prieglius; pl, Pregoła) is a river in the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast exclave.
Name
A possible ancient name by Ptolemy of the Pregolya River is Chronos (from Germanic *''h ...
) and
Lake Mamry
Mamry (, ) is a lake in the Masurian Lake District of Poland's Warmia-Mazury Province. It is the second largest lake in Poland, with an area of 104 km2. The lake's maximum depth is 44 m with an average depth of 11 m.
It actually comprises ...
, one of the
Masurian Lakes
The Masurian Lake District or Masurian Lakeland ( pl, Pojezierze Mazurskie; german: Masurische Seenplatte) is a lake district in northeastern Poland within the geographical region of Masuria, in the past inhabited by Masurians who spoke the Masuri ...
in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
.
The Polish-Russian border cuts through the canal, with the southern section, about 20 km long, located in Poland, and the remainder in Russia. There are ten locks on the canal, five in each country, designed to handle boats up to wide, long, with a draught of .
The canal's purpose was to spur the economic development of
Masuria
Masuria (, german: Masuren, Masurian: ''Mazurÿ'') is a ethnographic and geographic region in northern and northeastern Poland, known for its 2,000 lakes. Masuria occupies much of the Masurian Lake District. Administratively, it is part of the ...
. Construction began in 1911 but was interrupted by
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, was resumed in the 1920s – since Russian trade ceased after the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
– and again in the 1930s. The project was finally terminated by
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, with no attempt to finish the canal afterwards.
Gallery
Шлюз №5 Георгенфельде, камера. Озерки, Калининградская область.jpg, Ozerki Lock
Недостроенный шлюз №6 Лангенфельд. Длугополе, Польша.jpg, Długopole Lock
Kanał Mazurski Śluza Piaski 014.JPG, Piaski Lock
SluzaLesniewoDolne1.jpg, Leśniewo Dolne Lock
References
External links
*
Photosphere of a canal lockCanal lock visible in Google Street ViewCanal lock visible in Google Street View
Canals in Russia
Canals in Poland
Geography of Kaliningrad Oblast
{{KaliningradOblast-geo-stub