Augustów Canal

Augustów Canal Polish: Kanał Augustowski Belarusian: Аўгустоўскі канал
Augustów Canal in Augustów
Specifications
Length	62.88 miles (101.20 km)
Locks	18
Status	Open
Navigation authority	Regional Water Management Authority in Warsaw (RZGW Warsawa)
History
Principal engineer	Ignacy Prądzyński
Other engineer(s)	Jan Chrzciciel de Grandville Malletski Jan Paweł Lelewel
Construction began	1823
Date completed	1839
Geography
Start point	Biebrza River near Dębowo, Poland
End point	Neman River near Sapotskin, Belarus
Connects to	Bystry Canal

The Augustów Canal (Polish: Kanał Augustowski, [ˈkanau̯ au̯ɡusˈtɔfski], Belarusian: Аўгустоўскі канал) is a cross-border canal built in the 19th century in the present-day Podlaskie Voivodeship of northeastern Poland and the Grodno Region of north-western Belarus (then the Augustów Voivodeship of the Kingdom of Poland). From the time it was first built, the canal was described by experts as a technological marvel, with numerous sluices contributing to its aesthetic appeal.

It was the first summit level canal in Central Europe to provide a direct link between the two major rivers, Vistula River through the Biebrza River – a tributary of the Narew River, and the Neman River through its tributary – the Czarna Hancza River, and it provided a link with the Black Sea to the south through the Oginski Canal, Daugava River, Berezina Canal and Dnieper River. It uses a post-glacial channel depression, forming the chain of Augustów lakes, and the river valleys of the Biebrza, the Netta, the Czarna Hancza and the Neman, which made it possible to perfectly integrate the Canal with the surrounding elements of the natural environment.