Corinth Canal (Διώρυγα της Κορίνθου), Greece

Corinth Canal, Greece
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20090731_korinthos_canal01.jpg
Author: Jean Housen


Corinth Canal is a canal that links the Gulf of Corinth to the Saronic Gulf. It was constructed between 1881 and 1893, and its construction effectively severed the land link of the Peloponnesian peninsula from mainland Greece.

The Corinth Canal is 6.3 km (3.9 mi) in length. It is 8 meters (26 ft) deep and 24 meters (79 ft) wide. On either sides are cliffs and walls, some reaching a height of 52 meters. The canal allows ships to bypass having to circle Peloponnesus, a journey that would take 700 kilometers.

The idea to build the canal through the Isthmus of Corinth has been around since antiquity. Several rulers including Julius Caesar and Nero have launched ground breakings on projects that were all eventually abandoned.

The modern Corinth Canal was started in the 1870's. However the original French company that took on the project ran into financial difficulties, and so a new Greek company took over. The Hungarian architects involved in the project, István Türr and Béla Gerster, had experience gained from work done on the Panama Canal.

Corinth Canal, GreeceSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corinth_Canal_by_Frank_van_Mierlo.jpg
Author: Mierlo

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