Constructed between 1848 and 1876, the canal was the brainchild of Dutch engineer J-G Steenke and linked southern Prussia to the Baltic Sea, a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering unparalleled in the world. Over 80km long (40km of true canals linking six lakes), it is the main element of a multi-branch canal network. Sadly, as soon as the project was finished it was rendered obsolete by the coming of the railways! Today its traffic is composed exclusively of tourist trippers.