Northern Ekaterininsky Canal (russian: Cеверо-Екатерининский канал, ''Severo-Yekaterininsky Kanal''), or Catherine's Canal is an abandoned canal in the

Komi Republic The Komi Republic (russian: Республика Коми; kv, Коми Республика), sometimes simply referred to as Komi, is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. Its capital is the city of Syktyvkar. The population of th ...

and

Perm Krai Perm Krai (russian: Пе́рмский край, r=Permsky kray, p=ˈpʲɛrmskʲɪj ˈkraj, ''Permsky krai'', , ''Perem lador'') is a federal subject of Russia (a krai) that came into existence on December 1, 2005 as a result of the 2004 re ...

in northern Russia, connecting the basin of the

Northern Dvina The Northern Dvina (russian: Се́верная Двина́, ; kv, Вы́нва / Výnva) is a river in northern Russia flowing through the Vologda Oblast and Arkhangelsk Oblast into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. Along with the Pechora River ...

with that of the

Kama ''Kama'' (Sanskrit ) means "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsकाम, kāmaMonier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary, pp 271, see 3rd column Kama often connotes sensual pleasure, sexual ...

, a tributary of the

Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchm ...

History

The construction of the canal, named after

Empress Catherine II , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

, was started in 1785 and completed in 1822. Sixteen

verst A verst (russian: верста, ) is an obsolete Russian unit of length defined as 500 sazhen. This makes a verst equal to . Plurals and variants In the English language, ''verst'' is singular with the normal plural ''versts''. In Russian, the no ...

and 322

sazhen A native system of weights and measures was used in Imperial Russia and after the Russian Revolution, but it was abandoned after 21 July 1925, when the Soviet Union adopted the metric system, per the order of the Council of People's Commissars. ...

(around 18 km) long, it connected the North Keltma River (russian: Северная Кельтма), a tributary of the

Vychegda , image = VytchegdaRiver.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = The lower course of the Vychegda , source1_location = , mouth = Northern Dvina , mouth_coordinates = , progression = , sub ...

(which in its turn flows into the Northern Dvina), with the Dzhurich River, which flows into the South Keltma River (russian: Южная Кельтма), a tributary of the Kama. The canal was usable by boats up to 6,000-8,000

pood ''Pood'' ( rus, пуд, r=pud, p=put, plural: or ) is a unit of mass equal to 40 ''funt'' (, Russian pound). Since 1899 it is set to approximately 16.38 kilograms (36.11 pounds). It was used in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. ''Pood'' was first m ...

(100-130 metric tons), but was officially abandoned in 1838, just 16 years after its opening, due to little use. It was still occasionally used by the local Komi Zyryan merchants during the spring and fall high-water seasons until the early 20th century.

Present state

The disused canal, described by the

Encyclopedia as "a small ditch with fallen banks" (небольшой ров с обвалившимися берегами) still exists. In 2007, members of the Perm Geography Club traveled along the canal in row boats, using chainsaws and axes to clear the logs and tree branches blocking the way. They have filed an application with the appropriate authorities to have the canal listed as a National Historic Site.Канал из прошлого: Чердынский "великий путь" спустя почти 200 лет может стать памятником
(A canal from the past: almost 200 years later, the "Great Way of Cherdyn" may become a monument).

Izvestiya ''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in 1917, it was a newspaper of record in the Soviet Union until the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, and describes i ...

, 26-June-2007. A village near the northern ( Komi) end of the canal is still called Kanava, which means 'ditch' in Russian. Since 1828, the Northern Dvina is also connected with the Volga basin by a navigable route elsewhere, known as the

Northern Dvina Canal The Northern Dvina Canal (russian: Северодвинский канал) is a 64 km long canal in Vologda Oblast in Russia. It connects the Volga-Baltic Waterway to the Northern Dvina River through its tributary, the Sukhona River. The Nor ...

References

{{coord, 61, 03, N, 55, 06, E, display=title Canals in Russia Buildings and structures in the Komi Republic Transport in Perm Krai Canals opened in 1822 1822 establishments in the Russian Empire Transport in the Komi Republic Objects of cultural heritage of Russia of federal significance Cultural heritage monuments in the Komi Republic