The Saimaa Canal (Finnish: Saimaan kanava; Swedish: Saima kanal; Russian: Сайменский канал) is a transportation canal that connects lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia. The canal was built from 1845 to 1856 and opened on 7 September [O.S. 26 August] 1856. It was overhauled and widened in 1963–1968.
A system of inland waterways and canals in the 120 interconnected lakes of the south-central and south-east part of Finland (Finnish Lakeland) are reached through the canal. The network of deep channels in Lake Saimaa with at least a draught of 4.2 m (14 ft) covers 814 km (506 mi). The deep channels extend all the way to Kuopio in Central Finland. The canal is closed in the winter.
Topography
The canal begins near Lauritsala, Lappeenranta, Finland, at coordinates (61°04′43″N 028°16′24″E) and ends in Vyborg, Russia, at coordinates (60°48′38″N 028°44′13″E), connecting Lake Saimaa and the Vyborg Bay. On the way, it connects Lake Nuijamaa, on the Finnish–Russian border at coordinates (60°57′6″N 28°34′33″E), and three smaller lakes in Russia.
Dimensions
Length: 42.9 km (26.7 mi)
Finnish part: 23.3 km (14.5 mi)
Russian part: 19.6 km (12.2 mi)
Width: from 34 to 55 m (112 to 180 ft)