The Elbląg Canal is the only canal in the world with an operational - over 130-year-old - land-based system for transporting ships.
The Elbląg Canal is a product of material culture and engineering thought, and a monument to civilizational heritage. The Elbląg Canal is the only canal in the world with an operational - over 130-year-old - land-based system for transporting ships. Four locks and five inclined planes, used to overcome a nearly 100-meter difference in water levels, are the most original of the solutions that distinguish this 19th-century engineering marvel. The entire route consists of three main sections with a total length of 130 km as well as many water branches, including lakes and navigable stretches of rivers. The longest of them connects Ostróda with Elbląg (hence the name), the second - Miłomłyn with Iława, and the third - Ostróda with Stare Jabłonki. Via the Elbląg River and the Vistula Lagoon the canal connects Masuria with the Baltic Sea.
