The construction of the Elster-Saale canal began in 1850. The lawyer and businessman Karl Heine wanted to connect the two rivers for the purpose of shipping in Saxony, which was then industrially up-and-coming, and to make Leipzig accessible for inland waterway traffic. However, due to World War II, this canal was never completed. It has neither a connection to the Elster nor the Saale and is not navigable by ships, but you have to reckon with pleasure boats.