thumb|Dnieper-Bug Canal

The Dnieper–Bug Canal (alternatively the Dnepr-Bug Canal), or the Dneprovsko-Bugsky Canal, is the longest inland ship canal in Belarus. It connects the Mukhavets River (a tributary of the Bug River) and the Pina River (a tributary of the Pripyat River). It is managed by Dneprobugvodput.

The artificial channel dug between Kobryn and Pinsk was originally named the Royal Canal (), after the King of Poland Stanisław August Poniatowski (), who initiated its construction. It forms an important part of the transportation artery linking the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. The total length of the canal system from Brest to Pinsk is , including the long artificial waterway.

The drainage area of the canal system totals .

History

Origins

Canal building flourished in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the late 18th century. Yet many of the early canals are no longer in active service, having been superseded by railroads and highways. The Dnieper–Bug Canal after several enlargements still provides a convenient inland waterway. Until the 18th century there was a portage between Kobrin and Pinsk as it was a part of the important long-distance trade route from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. The names of the Voloka River and the village of Mukhovloki near Kobrin reflect the existence of the ancient portage. People have settled along the portage route since ancient times due to the importance of the (Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks).

Proposal and design

In the mid-17th century, Jerzy Ossoliński, Crown Court Treasurer of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was the first to suggest the idea of upgrading the portage to a canal with locks. four sluice dams and one shipping lock have been rebuilt which allow for the passage of vessels long, wide with a draught of . It is expected that reconstruction will continue over the next few years.

Footnotes

  • 2008 report on the canal
  • website in Russian of the company that operates the canal