The Onega Canal (russian: Онежский канал) is a
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 f ...
that runs along the southern banks of
Lake Onega
Lake Onega (; also known as Onego, rus, Оне́жское о́зеро, r=Onezhskoe ozero, p=ɐˈnʲɛʂskəɪ ˈozʲɪrə; fi, Ääninen, Äänisjärvi; vep, Änine, Änižjärv) is a lake in northwestern Russia, on the territory of the Repu ...
in
Vytegorsky District
Vytegorsky District (russian: Вытего́рский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #371-OZ and municipalLaw #1113-OZ district ( raion), one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and b ...
of
Vologda Oblast and
Podporozhsky District
Podporozhsky District (russian: Подпоро́жский райо́н) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #51-oz district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northeast of the oblast ...
of
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
s in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
. It was built 1818–1820 and 1845–1852 as a part of
Mariinsk Canal System
Mariinsk (russian: link=no, Мариинск) is a town in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, where the Trans-Siberian Railway crosses the Kiya River ( Ob's basin), northeast of Kemerovo, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 39,700 (19 ...
, to allow small riverboats to avoid Lake Onega, where storms are frequent and where many boats had perished through the centuries. The canal is long
and runs between the
Vytegra River
The Vytegra ( rus, Вытегра, p=ˈvɨtʲɪɡrə) is a river in Vytegorsky District of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It nominally flows out of Lake Matkozero and is a tributary of Lake Onega. It is long, and the area of its basin . The princip ...
in the east and
Svir River
The Svir (, Veps: , Karelian/ Finnish: ) is a river in Podporozhsky, Lodeynopolsky, and Volkhovsky districts in the north-east of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It flows westwards from Lake Onega to Lake Ladoga, thus connecting the two larges ...
in the west. It is around wide, and lies between and from the shores of the lake.
At the mouth of the canal, in the selo of
Voznesenye, a memorial obelisk has been erected.
The canal lost its significance after Mariinsk Canal System was reconstructed and became
Volga-Baltic Waterway.
Onezhsky Canal was not reconstructed and became too shallow for larger boats. It is still navigable, but not used for regular navigation.
Two rivers,
Vozheroksa and
Oshta, tributaries of Lake Onega, cross the canal.
from the Vytegra, the canal crosses
Lake Megrskoye, a large freshwater lake. There is weak current in the canal in the direction of the Svir.
References
{{coord, 61, 00, N, 35, 29, E, display=title, region:RU_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki
Canals in Russia
Buildings and structures in Vologda Oblast
Buildings and structures in Leningrad Oblast
Transport in Leningrad Oblast
Canals opened in 1852
1852 establishments in the Russian Empire
Transport in Vologda Oblast