The Oberland Canal, also called Oberland Canal, Elbing-Osterode Canal or Elbing-Oberland Canal [1] (in Polish Kanał Elbląski), is located in the Oberland of the Polish Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. It was built from 1844 to 1860 under the direction of the royal Prussian building councilor Georg Steenke from Königsberg (Prussia). The engineers August Severin and Carl Lentze, who was mainly known as the designer of the Vistula Bridge in Dirschau and who later worked on the construction of the Suez Canal, worked on the construction of the Oberland Canal. [2]
The Oberland Canal connects several lakes such as the Geserichsee and cities in East Prussia from Iława (German: German Eylau) via Ostróda (Osterode) to Elbląg (Elbing) to the Frischen Haff. The length of the canal is 129.8 km to Iława, while the Elbląg – Ostróda section, with which the canal is mostly identified, is 82 km long.
A special feature and today's tourist attraction are the five rolling mountains, on which the ships are transported overland on rail cars to cope with the height difference of 99 meters. They are designed as funiculars that are powered by water wheels. [3] The canal system is considered a technical monument and is a listed building. Source: Wikipedia