A grand hydrotechnical project conceived during the era of the Kingdom of Poland, refined and carried out shortly after the First Partition of Poland in 1773–1774 during the reign of Frederick II, King of Prussia.

The Bydgoszcz Canal, 26.77 km long, was built in 18 months, by nearly 10,000 workers—a project that cost the lives of about 2,000 of them—and connected Bydgoszcz with Nakło, but above all, it linked the Vistula and Oder river basins via their tributaries. This created an inland waterway—planned since the 16th century and of great economic importance—which at the time became a competitor to the maritime route through Gdańsk. Since its opening, the canal has been systematically modernized and renovated. It played a huge role in water transport. Among other things, most of the timber from Russia and the Congress Kingdom was floated down it to the German Empire. Thanks to it, trade and industry flourished, particularly in the timber, machinery, and furniture sectors. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the canal was served by nearly 3,000 raftsmen working for the largest shipowner, Lloyd Bydgoski. Furthermore, since the 1840s, the canal within the city and its suburbs has contributed to the flourishing of social life associated with the restaurant and entertainment complexes established in its vicinity.

In the immediate vicinity of the Old Town, across from the Opera Nova building, we begin our tour of the canal. Here, on the north side of the Solidarity Bridges, on Karola Marcinkowskiego Street, we’ll see the city lock (built between 1908 and 1912) and House No. 2, associated with the Royal Waterworks Inspectorate. From here, heading west, we walk along a section of Marszałka Focha Street and the Grunwaldzkie Roundabout—both built on the site of the filled-in canal bed—all the way to Nakielska Street. At the location of the Neoclassical building at 25 Marszałka Focha Street (the residence of the presidents of the Regency in Bydgoszcz from 1836 to 1920) was the second lock, and further on, opposite the current Mechanical School Complex at 37 Świętej Trójcy Street, there was a stone bridge connecting the banks of the canal (which no longer exists). It is worth noting that among the remnants of the partially filled-in canal are the black poplars growing near the entrance to the movie theater. Further on, starting from the beginning of Nakielska Street, lies the Old Bydgoszcz Canal, which is no longer navigable. Parks with beautiful specimens of old-growth trees stretch along it. Here you’ll find black poplars, horse chestnuts, oaks, elms, beeches, and water-loving black alders… Adjacent to the area along the canal is Bydgoszcz’s oldest cemetery — the Starofarny Cemetery, established in 1806. Further on, at the fourth lock, the canal is crossed by Wrocławska Street, along which some of the stately buildings of elegant venues with ballrooms and concert halls have survived. From this lock begins the most beautiful section of the canal-side promenade, featuring a pair of floating fountains and a swan island, followed by the fifth lock and another one at Bronikowskiego Street, and beyond it lies the actual navigable canal, along which we can continue on to the Noteć River (waterway E-70), or further toward the Brda River through the Czyżkówko lock toward the Koronowski Lagoon, or in the opposite direction toward the Vistula River.

While strolling along the canal, it’s worth considering a visit to Bydgoszcz Canal Museum, located at 10 Staroszkolna Street.

The Bydgoszcz Canal

Zobacz:

Zaplanuj pobyt:

O nas: