The Oder–Havel Canal is a German canal built between 1908 and 1914, originally known as the Hohenzollern Canal, mostly replacing the

Finow Canal The Finow Canal (German ''Finowkanal'') is one of the oldest artificial waterways in Europe. Construction began in 1605 The channel, about long, is in the German state of Brandenburg in the Barnim district. It was built for the first time in 160 ...

. Together with Hohensaaten-Friedrichsthaler Wasserstraße, the ''Oderhaltung'' and the ''Schwedter Querfahrt'' it forms the ''Havel-Oder-Wasserstraße''. It runs from the town of

Cedynia Cedynia (pronounced ; german: Zehden, la, Cedene) is a small historic town in Poland, and the administrative seat of Gmina Cedynia in Gryfino County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is situated close to the Oder river and the border with Ge ...

near the city of

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

on the

Oder River The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flow ...

between Germany and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

to the

Havel The Havel () is a river in northeastern Germany, flowing through the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe and long. However, the direct distance from its source to its mo ...

, a tributary of the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Rep ...

, near

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

. It is long, and wide. In 1934 a

ship lift A shiplift is a modern alternative for a slipway, a floating dry dock or a graving dry dock. A shiplift is used to dry dock and launch ships. It consists of a structural platform that is lifted and lowered exactly vertically, synchronously by a ...

was built on the canal, near

Niederfinow Niederfinow is a municipality in the district of Barnim in Brandenburg in Germany. Demography References External links Localities in Barnim {{Brandenburg-geo-stub ...

. It vertical lift was . The dimensions of the caisson are 85 x 12 x 2.5 m. It could lift vessels of up to 1000 tonnes displacement.

History

The assumed start of the actual Oder–Havel Canal is the current mouth of the Oranienburger Havel. It leads through the Lehnitzsee, which previously did not belong to the Havel, and reaches the Lehnitzschleuse. Most of the canal follows the former Malz Canal and then replaces the older

up to its eastern end. Its top parting extends from the headwater of the Lehnitz lock to the

Niederfinow Niederfinow is a municipality in the district of Barnim in Brandenburg in Germany. Demography References External links Localities in Barnim {{Brandenburg-geo-stub ...

boat lift. The natural resources of the catchment areas of the Havel and the advertising water and, in the event of drought, the Müritz-Havel waterway and the

Elde The Elde () is a river in northern Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and a few km in Brandenburg), a right tributary of the Elbe. Its total length is . The Elde originates near Altenhof, south of Malchow. It first flows southeast towards the southe ...

are used to supply the water to the vertex.

References

External links

Federal Statistical Office, Germany list of Navigable canals of over 80 km of length
- has some basic facts about the Oder–Havel Canal. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oder-Havel Canal Canals in Brandenburg Federal waterways in Germany Canals opened in 1914 COderHavel Buildings and structures in Oberhavel