The locks
Red brick.
Michal Gorski — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Michal Gorski — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Michal Gorski — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Michal Gorski — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Augustów Canal is a cross-border waterway between north-eastern Poland and western Belarus, built in the 19th century. Experts have called it a technical marvel since it opened, its many locks add to its beauty, and its Belarusian stretch runs through the Grodno region. It was built between 1823 and 1839, after Prussia set high customs duties on goods crossing its land, to give a water route to the Baltic that avoided Prussia. It was the first canal in Central Europe to link the Vistula and Neman rivers directly, using a chain of lakes and river valleys so that it blends into the landscape. You see a calm canal reflecting the sky and trees, red brick locks with straight walls, and heavy wooden gates topped with white pillars. Water spills under wooden bridges in small falls, and pine forests and green meadows line the banks. The Dambrowka lock is about 25 km from Grodno in a straight line. Walking the banks is free. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Belarus, so read the current advice before any planning.
Red brick.
Heavy wood.
Pine forest.
Dambrowka lock, north-west of Grodno, Belarus
To give a water route to the Baltic that avoided Prussian customs duties.
Yes, the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Belarus.