Masurian Canal

Map of the Masurian Canal
Unfinished canal lock

The Masurian Canal (German: Masurischer Kanal, Polish: Kanał Mazurski, Russian: Канал Мазурский) is an unfinished 50.4 km long canal connecting the Lava River in Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia (a tributary of the Pregolya) and Lake Mamry, one of the Masurian Lakes in Poland. The present day Polish-Russian border cuts the canal, with the southern section about 20 km long located in Poland, and the rest in Russia. There are 10 locks on the canal, 5 in Poland and 5 in Russia, designed to handle boats up to width 7,7 m, length 45 m and draught 2.5 m.

The goal of the canal was to spur the economic development of East Prussia. Construction began in 1911 but was interrupted by World War I, was resumed in the 1920s and again in the 1930s (since Russian trade ceased after the October Revolution), and then was terminated by World War II, with no attempt to finish the canal afterwards.[1]

References

  1. David, Turnock (2006). Eastern European Economy, 1800-2000: Stages of Transformation in a Peripheral Region. Routledge. p. 219. ISBN 0-203-48622-6.

External links

Coordinates: 54°19′16″N 21°28′34″E / 54.32111°N 21.47611°E