This world class example of water technology links the western Mazurian lakes with the Vistula Lagoon and is today a popular tourist route. It was designed by the engineer Jakob Georg Steenke at the beginning of the 19th century thus establishing a trade route between East Prussia and the Baltic Sea. Work lasted between 1844 and 1881 when the last lock was completed. The entire length of the Elblag Canal is 115.6km The originality of this waterway is the way that it overcomes the difference in levels totalling nearly 100m – with the help of locks and inclines. The latter have an arrangement of rails with water driven pulling mechanisms. In five locations, due to the difference in level, ships are dragged by ropes over the rails on a specially designed cradle. Already in 1892, on the first completed section between Ilawa and Elblag, the „Reederei Kardinal” of the Ilawa Steamship Company began sailing here and in 1927 the ship „Konrad”, built in the Elblag shipyards began regular tourist cruises between Ostroda and Elblag. After the last war the Canal was cleared of debris and tourist cruises were resumed.

Ostroda-Elblag Navigation – Ostroda (woj. Warminsk-Mazurskie)

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