At that time, the city of Gdańsk handled most of Poland’s exports, and in order to get there, goods travelling via the Vistula River had to flow through Prussian territory. The ruler of the day, Frederick the Great decided that Prussia needed to generate more income, so decided to impose heavy taxes on goods passing through his territory. In 1806, thanks to the French and Napoleon, the Duchy of Warsaw was created thereby giving the Poles a semblance of independence. After the demise of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna, Poland once again became part of the Imperial Russian Empire, and the Tsar granted permission in May 1824 for this project to go ahead with his own financial support. This is probably one of the greatest gifts that the Russians had ever given to Poland.

 

A young and talented Polish officer by the name of Ignacy Prądzynski was given the task of completing this ambitious yet politically sensitive project. Work began later that year and would continue for the next 15 years. The canal would join the Vistula River basin with the basin of the Niemen River, thereby allowing goods to be transported to Baltic ports which were not located in Prussia. The Niemen River (Nemunas) is found today in Lithuania, and is in fact Lithuania’s longest river.

 

While planning the canal, the young Prądzynski had other things on his mind as do most young men in their early twenties. He was impetuous and very patriotic to the extent that in 1826 he was arrested for being involved with fellow officers in a conspiracy against the Tsarist authorities. After returning from a three year long sabbatical, he returned to work – if only employers were so understanding nowadays! One sabbatical was not enough for this young engineer, and in 1831 with his fellow patriots, he decided to take part in the uprising against the Russians. Understandably his employer was to not too pleased this time, and his contract was terminated. He was sent to Russia, though he did return to his home albeit unemployed.

 

The construction of the canal seemed to be a good idea at the time, though soon after it was finished, the Prussians had a change of heart and taxes were lowered, so the original plan of having a waterway that would be a transport corridor for the mass movement of goods was shelved. The use of railways to transport goods was starting to gain momentum at this point, and this also put paid to the future of the Augustów Canal as a major transport route through the region.

 

All was not lost however; as the location of the canal, in one of Poland’s most beautiful and densely forested regions, ensured that it became one of the main routes for transporting timber from the forest to the ports. Even as recently as the late 1970s, it was always a thrilling sight to see timber logs floating down the canal waiting for the lock gates to open. There are still places called ‘Bindugi’ located along the canal side which were stopping places for the crews and the royal of town of Augustów had one of the largest sawmills in the country, which was still operating until quite recently.

 

This grand old lady of canals had to live through numerous insurrections, revolutions and world wars and has survived. She became part of the front line in September 1939 when the Soviet tank regiments attacked Poland and the Germans in 1944 did their bit by blowing up three locks. All damaged locks in post war years were rebuilt and the most recent was Debowo, which is regarded by many as the gateway to the Biebrza National Park. This lock, which was rebuilt faithfully to the original 19th century design, allows the waters of the canal to flow into the River Biebrza. If you are fortunate enough to visit this location, you will quickly realise why also this is seen as the most attractive locations for a local bus stop.

 

Augustów Canal is maturing into one of the most attractive canals in Europe. Flowing through the Puszcza Augustowska, Poland’s largest forest complex, you can easily canoe down this route during spring and autumn, and are more likely to come into contact with wildlife rather than other humans, as you paddle along the waterways. The canal does not form a continuously straight route with regular banks - it is unique in that it flows through a variety of lakes, some large, some small, and that it continues its way through the royal town of Augustów and eventually onto the Biebrza National Park, forming part of the famous papal canoe route.

 

The canal adjoins several nature reserves which form part of Natura 2000, a network of ecologically protected areas, which means that there is no disturbance from barges or mechanical water traffic. The lock keepers’ cottages, probably some of the most attractive in Europe, are listed buildings and are located deep in the forest.

 

The canal is now settling down into old age with grace and beauty; it has been through war and destruction and now is the time to enjoy and explore it There is however one final hurdle, or some may say ‘opportunity,’ to overcome as with most things in life: the canal is approximately 100 kilometres long and has 18 locks along its entire length; however three locks and about 2 kilometres of the canal are located in Belarus, and form the only border crossing in Europe which has been specially created for canoeists. This border is presently tightly controlled and a visa is required to travel further along the canal, however this may change at some point in the future. Belarus may eventually join the EU, which would mean that one could paddle all the way from Augustów to the Baltic via Belarus and Lithuania, and the canal will once again receive the international recognition that it deserves, and may even become listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

  

About the Author

 

Andrew Usowicz is the Managing Director of Frontier Poland arranges canoeing, kayaking and rafting tours in North Eastern Poland. He is a native English speaker who has extensive knowledge of canoeing and kayaking in the waterways of North Eastern Poland. For further information on Frontier Poland, visit wwww.frontierpoland.com or telephone +48 501 274 244.