Saimaa canal lingonberry gateway on the map.
Excel We went to the travel agency to find out about cruises on the Saimaa Canal, how to get to the canal museum by public transport, and also, just in case, found out where you could spend the night cheaply. Then I started studying technical materials in order to plan the trip in the optimal way. The plan was as follows: take a minibus in the morning, get off before reaching Lappeenrata and walk along the old canal, visit the canal museum, then call a taxi, come to the pier, take the El Faro, go through one lock in two hours, then return by taxi home. The budget for the trip was as follows: minibus there 1200 rubles, museum 150 rubles, taxi to the pier approximately 1000 rubles. (for three), cruise on El Faro 800 rubles, late evening taxi back from Lappenranta to St. Petersburg 8000 rubles. (again we divide by three) That is, per person it turned out to be approximately 5,200 rubles. Lena
petite_nyctale We went to the travel agency to find out about cruises on the Saimaa Canal, how to get to the canal museum by public transport, and also, just in case, found out where you could spend the night cheaply. Then I started studying technical materials in order to plan the trip in the optimal way. The plan was as follows: take a minibus in the morning, get off before reaching Lappeenrata and walk along the old canal, visit the canal museum, then call a taxi, come to the pier, take the El Faro, go through one lock in two hours, then return by taxi home. The budget for the trip was as follows: minibus there 1200 rubles, museum 150 rubles, taxi to the pier approximately 1000 rubles. (for three), cruise on El Faro 800 rubles, late evening taxi back from Lappenranta to St. Petersburg 8000 rubles. (again we divide by three) That is, per person it turned out to be approximately 5,200 rubles. Lena
and asks which room to book for 4300 rubles. or for 5000 rub. She answered that I don’t care which room I suffer in. While I was riding on the train, I suddenly thought that we were going on a big cruise on August 1, and this is Friday. What if there are no places? I had with me an advertising brochure that contained the company's phone number. I decided to call and find out what and how. I called, they answered “soldier”, fortunately the girl on the other end understood everything right away and switched to a Russian-speaking employee, with whom I agreed on everything, booked three places, gave my last name and phone number. She promised that tomorrow at three o'clock we would come to buy tickets. In the evening of the same day, it suddenly became clear that a small crack had formed in my wonderful plan, through no fault of ours.
We reserved seats on the minibus in advance, on Monday, July 28th. On the afternoon of July 30, on the eve of the trip, we We went to the travel agency to find out about cruises on the Saimaa Canal, how to get to the canal museum by public transport, and also, just in case, found out where you could spend the night cheaply. Then I started studying technical materials in order to plan the trip in the optimal way. The plan was as follows: take a minibus in the morning, get off before reaching Lappeenrata and walk along the old canal, visit the canal museum, then call a taxi, come to the pier, take the El Faro, go through one lock in two hours, then return by taxi home. The budget for the trip was as follows: minibus there 1200 rubles, museum 150 rubles, taxi to the pier approximately 1000 rubles. (for three), cruise on El Faro 800 rubles, late evening taxi back from Lappenranta to St. Petersburg 8000 rubles. (again we divide by three) That is, per person it turned out to be approximately 5,200 rubles. Lena
We received an SMS saying that the driver would call us in the evening. Lena K. did not receive the SMS. In the evening the driver called. It immediately became clear that he was a chemically pure idiot. Further analysis confirmed the absence of even traces of intelligence. One gyrus and that one is below the back. He mixed up all the addresses, appearances, passwords. They completely forgot about Lena K., I had to remind her. The driver swore. Then he said that he would come for me at about eight in the morning. I called Lena K. so that she would be ready by eight. In the morning at half past five I suddenly rang, I’ll arrive at seven. I'm calling Lena - wake up. There are eight seats in total on the minibus. Lena and I live nearby. Then we went to pick up a girl, whose address was also mixed up, then three more girls sat with us on the ring road, and finally picked us up around nine in the morning. We went to the travel agency to find out about cruises on the Saimaa Canal, how to get to the canal museum by public transport, and also, just in case, found out where you could spend the night cheaply. Then I started studying technical materials in order to plan the trip in the optimal way. The plan was as follows: take a minibus in the morning, get off before reaching Lappeenrata and walk along the old canal, visit the canal museum, then call a taxi, come to the pier, take the El Faro, go through one lock in two hours, then return by taxi home. The budget for the trip was as follows: minibus there 1200 rubles, museum 150 rubles, taxi to the pier approximately 1000 rubles. (for three), cruise on El Faro 800 rubles, late evening taxi back from Lappenranta to St. Petersburg 8000 rubles. (again we divide by three) That is, per person it turned out to be approximately 5,200 rubles. Lena
.
The crack in my plan appeared as follows. The route website indicated that we were supposed to arrive in Lappeenranta at 9 am Finnish time. And the museum opens at 11. It was assumed that we would have time to walk along the old canal for a couple of hours before it got hot. And when the driver said that he would only pick me up at eight in the morning, it immediately became clear that I wouldn’t be able to go for a walk until it got hot.
They crossed our border quickly, but got stuck at the Finnish border. There was a shift of some trainees on duty there, who apparently wanted to practice their Russian language. And then some kind of burden begins - where are you going, when to return, firstly you're going. Why does your route not coincide with the driver’s route? I barely got rid of it. Thank God we passed. Then it turned out that the driver’s navigator did not contain the address we needed. Well, or this idiot doesn’t know how to use a navigator. How can this happen in our time?!
By some miracle, we turned in the right place and got out next to the canal at the Mustola lock at Sulkutie 65 (sulku - lock, tie - road). It was 11 o'clock local time.
The Brockhaus and Efron dictionary says about the Saimaa Canal: 
In fact, there were 15 locks on the old canal, but they were two- and three-chamber. The lock chambers had continuous numbering. Therefore, two-chamber locks had double numbers, and three-chamber locks had triple numbers. In total, the old Saimaa Canal had 7 single-chamber, 3 double-chamber and 5 three-chamber locks. The total number of lock chambers at all locks of the Saimaa Canal was 28.
During the reconstruction of the canal in the 1920s and 30s and during the construction of a new canal in the 1960s, navigation through the old canal continued. Thanks to this, several old locks have been preserved, which are now museumized. We walked along the bed of the old canal past the old locks No. 2-4 “Malkia”, No. 5 “Malaya Mustola” and No. 6-8 “Mustola”.
Our route along the old canal from lock No. 6-8 “Mustola” to the museum: 
When we got off the minibus, there was a ship in the Mustola lock, so we quickly ran across the bridge, since it was about to be raised: 
The old lock No. 6-8 "Mustola" has a spillway located on the north-east side of the old lock. The channel in plan has the shape of an arc, which extends perpendicular to the direction of the channel in the upstream of the lock and joins the channel at the downstream. This channel allows water to be drained from the upper tail of the lock into the lower, bypassing the lock itself. It is possible that this channel was used to regulate the water level in the channel.
Two dams were built on the canal.
The old lock no. 6-8 Mustola is located next to the modern Mustola lock. The gateway is three-chamber. Currently, the old lock is used as a spillway channel through which water is drained from the upper tail of the Mustola lock to the lower, bypassing the new lock.
New gateway "Mustola" 
There was a dock located on the old Saimaa Canal at the old lock No. 6-8 “Mustola”. The entrance to the dock was located in the upper tail of the Mustola lock, next to the upper gate of the lock. The channel for ships to enter the dock ran perpendicular to the direction of the Saimaa Canal and was blocked by a gate. The dock gates were double-leaf and had a design similar to that of a sluice gate. On each of the gate leaves there was a valve for admitting water into the dock, operated by a manual drive with a rack and pinion. The gates were opened manually using rack and pinion drives, similar to sluice gate drives. The difference from the sluice gate drives was the presence of a mechanism with bevel gears. A part of the canal with a gate has been preserved from the dock. The dock gates are completely preserved, including the mechanisms for opening the gates and letting water into the dock.
Having examined the old and new Mustola locks, we went further towards the old Malaya Mustola lock. The photograph shows that in this place the beds of the new and old canals diverge. On the left is the new canal and the Myalkia lock, on the right is the old canal and the single-chamber lock "Malaya Mustola" 
Old lock No. 5 "Malaya Mustola" is one of the best preserved locks of the old Saimaa Canal. The lower sluice gate with mechanisms for driving the gate and releasing water from the sluice has been preserved. The upper sluice gates have not survived. In their place, a concrete wall was built, which held back the water level in the upper tail of the lock.
Sluice gate drive of the old lock No. 5 “Malaya Mustola”: 
The lower lock gate of the old lock No. 5 “We go further in the middle between the old Malaya Mustola”: 
View of the new channel: 
Ancient houses: 
Gateway "Myalkia" on the new channel: 
There is a memorial inscription carved on the rock nearby: 
Ahead is the nimble El Faro, in which I went for a walk around the archipelago in the evening: 
The old lock No. 2-4 "Mälkia" is located on a section of the old bed of the Saimaa Canal next to the modern lock "Mälkia". The gateway is three-chamber. At this point the old and new beds of the Saimaa Canal converge. The old Myalkia lock has preserved granite walls. The sluice gates and mechanisms have not survived. In the upper pool the lock is blocked by a dam. 
In the downstream of the old Mälkia lock, a pedestrian bridge was built across the old canal bed: 
Next to the old Mälkia lock there is a park named after Urho Kekkonen. In honor of the opening of the canal after reconstruction, a monument was erected in the park between the old and modern Mälkia locks in 1968: 
On the monument is a map of Urho Kekkonen Park with sections of the old and new beds of the Saimaa Canal: 
On the other side there is an inscription that says that the Saimaa Canal was reconstructed in 1963-1968. The fine print states that “construction was made possible thanks to an agreement with the Soviet Union on the lease of part of the canal to Finland. The new canal has eight locks, of which Mälkia is the highest.”
On another stele, “The Old Saimaa Canal was built in 1845 – 1856. The level difference between Lake Saimaa and the Gulf of Finland is about 76 meters, to overcome which there were 28 locks on the canal. The Myalkia lock consisted of three lock chambers.”
Monument in honor of Prince Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov, Governor-General of Finland in 1831 - 1854, when construction of the Saimaa Canal began.
The words are carved on the stone in Finnish and Russian: “General Governor Prince Menshikov has begun the execution of this important undertaking”: 
In 2006, the 150th anniversary of the channel was celebrated. In honor of this event, an arch was installed at the junction of the old and new canals. 
Then I noticed that the inscription in Russian was made in the old spelling, and the granite from which the slabs were made differed from the granite from which the arch was made. On the slabs it is written in Russian:
“Emperor Nicholas I began in 1845,” “Emperor Alexander II graduated in 1856.” 
Later everything became clear. Initially, the slabs were installed on the old canal next to the now defunct Lauritsala lock No. 1. They were there until 2006, then they were installed on the monument to the 150th anniversary of the canal.
There is a lot of interesting information about the old and new channels.
Having made our first trip from St. Petersburg to Finland, we noticed that a significant part of the highway runs along an artificial canal. We became interested and looked into books and the Internet. We found out that since the second half of the 19th century, the Finnish Lake Saimaa and the Vyborg Bay of the Baltic Sea have been connected by the Saimaa shipping canal with a total length of almost 60 km. Naturally, there was a desire to “get to know” this hydraulic structure better.
How to get to the Saimaa Canal?
Excursions along the Saimaa Canal are organized by ships both from Vyborg and from the Finnish town of Lappenranta. The transition takes five and a half hours. Due to time constraints, we chose another option: a bus excursion to Finland with a two-hour boat ride along the canal beyond the first lock.
The beginning of the trip did not promise a relaxing holiday - from St. Petersburg itself to the border, the rain ran in streams across the bus windows. However, by the time we arrived at the Lappenranta pier, the sun felt bolder. The umbrellas were hidden.
Loading onto the ship was carried out vigorously, and now we are setting sail. On the starboard side there are piers for parking yachts and boats. Their number could be the envy of any other southern resort!
A few minutes later we are already leaving the bay into the expanses of Lake Saimaa.
The banks begin to approach each other, we enter the channel. Looking at these neat slopes lined with granite tiles, manicured lawns, it is difficult to imagine the entire titanic volume of rough, menial work that preceded today's order.
More than 36 km of granite had to be split, blasted, sawed, and gnawed out in order to create an artificial channel a little more than 5 meters deep and 30-34 meters wide.
Another 23 km of the canal are natural rivers and lakes.
Two kilometers from the beginning of the canal there is the first of eight locks - Myalkia. The design of all gateways is the same. The upper gates are up and down, the lower ones are swing gates. Chamber width – 12.5 m, length – 85 m.
The sluices differ only in the height of the water drop. Mälkia is the most impressive elevator, raising (lowering) ships by 12.4 m.
Think about it: the level of the Saimaa lake system is almost 80 m higher than the water level in the Vyborg Bay! Along the entire length of the canal, 8 locks were built to ensure navigation.
Thoughts about connecting the Saimaa lake system with the Baltic Sea by an artificial canal have long haunted the rulers of these places. But the imperfection of equipment and technology, and most importantly, the lack of sufficient funding, hindered the implementation of bold plans. Only Russian autocrat Nicholas I, realizing the need to develop the territories that became part of the empire after the Russian-Swedish war, decided to build a canal. Excavation work began in 1845. The grand opening of the canal took place already under Emperor Alexander II, in 1856.
And after 5 years, a good half of Finnish timber exports went through the canal, eastern Finland turned out to be more accessible to travelers, and it became fashionable among wealthy St. Petersburg residents to build summer cottages on the picturesque banks of the canal.
The canal was intensively exploited until the 1939 war between the USSR and Finland. After the end of the war, the canal was divided between the two states. Only in 1962 (!) an agreement was signed under which the canal itself and the surrounding territories were leased to Finland for 50 years. Immediately, from 1963 to 1968, the locks were reconstructed to allow the passage of larger ships. Instead of the original 15 locks, 8 were built, with the simultaneous development of a new, wider channel.
Meanwhile, the ship left the lock and turned around at the nearest wide place to head back. Leaving the gate of the old lock on the right side, we enter the chamber of modern Mälkia.
Some ten minutes of seething water around – and we are on the top “floor” of the canal.
Northern August seemed to allow us to examine the structure of the canal, the lock, and again brought rain clouds upon us.
A fountain appeared ahead, arranged in the middle of the bay - the journey was coming to an end.
We returned to Mälkia Lock once again to see the whole picture from the shore. To see the old riverbed overgrown with reeds.
To see a new direction.
To see Russian yachts returning to their home port.
Returning along the waterway, which the Finns themselves recognize as the merit of Russia and the Russian emperors.
Just a couple of days ago I talked about the Finnish one, built in 1941-1944 for protection from the USSR. We said that the total length of the fortifications reaches 1200 km and they stretch from the coast of the Gulf of Finland to the Barents Sea in the far north. Today, absolutely by accident, I came across parts of the Salpa line again, I was just going to the Ylamaa Spectrolite stone museum, which I was supposed to visit as part of the press tour. The museum is located a 15-minute drive from the Torfyanovka-Vaalimaa border crossing with Russia, and after that I decided to make a circular route back to Lappeenranta along minor dirt roads and see a couple of wooden churches. I must say that I never found the church, but I came across several objects along the Salpa line that were not marked on tourist maps. And in the late afternoon, I took a ride on a pleasure boat through the locks of the Saimaa Canal.
But I'll start from the very beginning. The Stone Museum is not bad (my companion liked it), but I am far from the topic of jewelry and jewelry, so I will refrain from commenting; a press tour is still not only travel, but also an obligatory part of the program -
And then there were my favorite bunkers. Their exact location on Google.Maps -
After an hour and a half of “spinning” along the dirt roads of the border zone of south-eastern Finland, I finally got onto the highway (hurray, asphalt again) and headed towards the town of Suur Saimaa, from where I hoped to take the car to the ferry and cross the giant Lake Saimaa. But I screwed up twice: firstly, it started to rain wildly, which the windshield wipers couldn’t cope with, and I had to drive barely so as not to fly off the road, and secondly, the ferry crossing marked on the map had not been operating for a long time. And I had to return to Lappeenranta without completing my plans. Here's a ferry route I envisioned but never implemented. On the other hand, we looked at beautiful views of Lake Saimaa and walked through the forest -
I also had lunch, buying a piece of salmon, a couple of bananas and a box of blackcurrants from the supermarket. And you know what I’ll tell you? This is a hundred times tastier and more enjoyable than all the chic restaurants combined that I have eaten in the last few days. Seriously, I can't wrap my head around the bills for a modest 60 euro meal; It’s good that it’s not me who is paying, but the organizers - personally, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to pay such awesome sums for soup and a piece of meat. Here, 300 grams of salmon were bought for 3.95 euros, bananas for about 1 euro, currants 4 euros and that’s it, I had a great lunch -
Picnic on the roadside, as they say -
Actually, Lake Saimaa -
Ferry crossing not working -
And in the evening the program included a 3-hour cruise on Lake Saimaa on a ship. While buying tickets at the ticket office at the pier in Lappeenranta, I noticed an advertisement for cruises from here to Vyborg. This kind of cruise is interesting because you pass through the Saimaa Canal and several locks. They are organized by the local company Saimaa Travel and cost 63 euros. In principle, I had heard about them before, but here I saw with my own eyes that calm tickets are sold at the box office and the ships operate daily. I haven’t found out whether it’s possible to go by ship in the opposite direction, i.e. catch it in Vyborg and sail to Lappeenranta. Border control takes place right in the building of the Lappeenrat sea terminal -
The Lappeenranta Pulp and Paper Mill, by the way, is one of the largest paper producers in the world. Personally, I feel sorry for the millions of trees cut down -
Entering the Saimaa Canal -
By the way, the channel has a very interesting history. According to Wikipedia, the canal was built in 1845-1856 and was first launched on September 7, 1856. Thoroughly reconstructed in 1963-1968. It has a length of about 60 kilometers, of which 25 are located on Russian territory. The idea is that ships from Lake Saimaa to the Gulf of Finland pass through this canal. The exit of the canal is located just south of Vyborg. Before the “Winter War” of 1940, the entire canal was on Finnish territory, but now the Finns are forced to rent the southern part of the canal from Russia. In Lappeenranta there is an interesting museum of the history of the Saimaa Canal, which is worth a look for anyone interested in this topic.
In my case, it was a cruise on Lake Saimaa and passing through a couple of locks. Of course, I would prefer a cruise to Vyborg instead, but a program is a program. By the way, this was the first time in my life that I went through a lock, it was something unforgettable -
Look how the water recedes and the ship quickly sinks to the bottom of the lock -
Another 3 minutes and we are at the very bottom. The main thing is that the lock does not burst and the mass of water does not crush our little boat. Just kidding, everything is thought out here -
(Finnish: Saimaan kanava) is a shipping canal between Lake Saimaa in Finland and the Vyborg Bay in Russia. Opened in 1856, radically reconstructed in 1963–1968. The total length of the canal with the sea fairway is 57.3 km, of which Finland owns 23.3 km, Russia – 34 km. The entrance to the canal is Lake Saimaa, the entrance location is Lappeenranta, the entrance height is 76.75 m. The mouth is Vyborg Bay, the location is Vyborg.
Before the creation of the canal, the Lake Saimaa basin had no water communication with either the Gulf of Finland or Lake Ladoga. It was impossible to transport goods along rapids and shallow rivers. It was necessary to unload the ships in Lappeenranta (Swedish: Vilmanstrand) and transport goods a distance of 50 versts (more than 53 km) to Vyborg, where they were again loaded onto ships. In the opposite direction, products that were extremely necessary for the inhabitants of the lake region, primarily salt and grain, were delivered in the same way.
The first attempt to build a shipping canal between Lake Saimaa and the sea coast was made at the turn of the 15th–16th centuries. commandant of the fortresses of Vyborg and Olavinlinna by the Swedish governor Erik Bjelko. The result of these works was a ditch (Wanha-Kaiwanto - Old Canal) 118 m long and 5.3 m wide, which is currently hidden by the modern canal bed. Almost a hundred years later, in the early 1600s. under the leadership of Admiral Juusten, acting on the orders of the Swedish king Charles IX, the creation of the Pontus Canal (Uzhi-Kaivanto - New Canal) in Lappeenranta was completed.
After the Russian-Swedish war of 1808–1809. Finland became part of the Russian Empire, and in 1811 the Vyborg province was transferred to Finnish control.
In the first half of the 19th century. In Finland, cities were rebuilt, trading and manufacturing companies appeared, and a network of roads was built. The long-standing dream of the Finnish merchants to connect Lake Saimaa and the Gulf of Finland with a canal is becoming a reality.
In 1834, on the initiative of the Governor-General of Finland, Prince Alexander Menshikov, and the Governor of the Vyborg Province, Karl August Ramsay, a canal construction committee was established, and in May 1835, the Finnish Engineering Department was given the task of technical research for the construction of the Saimaa Canal.
Under the leadership of Baron Rosenkampf, a detailed technical project was prepared, which was approved by the highest in September 1844; in 1845 work began on the construction of the canal.
It was the largest construction project of that time, in which foreign specialists, mainly from Sweden, took an active part. On the initiative of engineer-Colonel Nils Erikson, the most modern English canal construction technology at that time was introduced. For the first time in Finland, gunpowder was used in mining. The length of the canal was then 59.3 km; of which 36.1 km were dug, and the rest were in rivers and lakes. 15 locks were built: 7 single-chamber, 3 double-chamber and 5 three-chamber. The canal passed through the territory of two districts of the Vyborg province.
The construction of the canal cost the state quite a lot - 12 million silver marks, but the costs were recouped much faster than expected - in 25 years.
The Saimaa Canal became the largest canal in Finland. With the opening of continuous navigation along the canal for more than 1000 miles, from the northern shores of Lake Saimaa to St. Petersburg, the economy of the eastern part of Finland was transformed: the woodworking industry was able to export its products to Russia, the role of livestock farming in agriculture increased (the production of oil supplied to St. Petersburg increased ), it became possible to export ferrous metallurgy products via a new channel.
Initially, navigation along the canal was carried out by barge haulers or horse-drawn boats, but already in 1856 the canal was served by four steamships. The constantly growing trade turnover stimulated the development of shipbuilding at the shipyards of Vyborg and Varkaus.
By the end of the 19th century. There were more than 800 different steamships and barges on Lake Saimaa, providing employment for 3.5 thousand people. Until the mid-1870s. 2–3 thousand ships a year passed through the canal; by 1913, their number reached almost 11 thousand. At that time, the Saimaa Canal provided 35% of freight traffic through the lock canals of Finland.
The canal and the adjacent cultural landscape became a kind of recreational area: dachas were built along the banks, gardens were laid out, piers and small architectural forms were built; Hotels and restaurants opened next to the locks.
In Europe, guides to the Saimaa Canal were published, which contributed to the influx of tourists - in the busiest seasons, up to 27 passenger ships a day passed through the canal. Luxury tourist ships carried travelers from St. Petersburg and Vyborg to the interior of Finland.
During the war, the canal found itself in a combat zone and was used as an anti-tank barrier. The sluice structures were opened, which ensured flooding of the area adjacent to the canal. During the fighting, many canal structures were damaged, and the remains of the dacha areas were completely destroyed.
After Finland regained the Karelian Isthmus in 1941, the canal was brought into working order and was used to supply the Finnish army, and later for the evacuation of military and civilians. In September 1944, as a result of a truce, the canal again found itself in the territories of the two countries, and traffic along it ceased.
The peace treaty between the Soviet Union and Finland of February 10, 1947 required the signing of an interstate agreement between neighboring countries on the use of the Saimaa Canal, divided by the state border. In addition, in the almost hundred years since its construction, its surviving structures had fallen into disrepair and were in need of large-scale reconstruction.
In 1948, at the initiative of the Finnish government, a complex and long negotiation process began, which ended in 1962 with the signing of an agreement on the lease of the Soviet part of the Saimaa Canal and the island to the Republic of Finland for a period of 50 years. Maly Vysotsky for transshipment and storage of goods.
According to the agreement, Finland accepted obligations to carry out a radical reconstruction of the Saimaa Canal within five years, and the Soviet Union to build bridges and some other structures on this canal with funds allocated by Finland.
The Saimaa Canal has become a key transport artery for South-East Finland, providing it with access to the world market and contributing to the economic growth of the region. In 2004, 2.46 million tons of cargo were transported through the canal; in general, over 50 years after reconstruction - 59 million tons.
In 2006, celebratory events were held in Russia and Finland in honor of the 150th anniversary of the canal, during which the “Gate of the Kings” monument was opened in the area of the Mälkia lock - a tall granite arch with gold engravings of the names of Russian emperors Nicholas I and Alexander II, during whose reign the first gateway system was created.
Finland's lease on the Russian part of the canal expired on January 1, 2013. The agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Finland on the lease by the Finnish Republic of the Russian part of the Saimaa Canal and the adjacent territory and on the implementation of navigation through the Saimaa Canal came into force on February 17, 2012, and the lease The channel was extended until 2063.
Today Finland leases 19.6 km of the Russian part of the canal (from the Brusnichnoye lock) and the adjacent territory, as well as the island. Maly Vysotsky. The management of hydraulic structures and maintenance of the canal in navigable condition is carried out by Finland, and the maintenance of the approach fairway in navigable condition is carried out by the Russian Federation.
The legal regime of the channel is determined by an interstate agreement.
On the leased territory, Finland can build the infrastructure necessary for the operation of the canal, as well as sublease a certain part of the territory, but does not have the right to use the subsoil and forests on the leased territory.
Finland annually budgets up to 10 million euros for the maintenance of hydraulic structures and minimization of tariffs in order to provide jobs and support cargo flow in the lake part of Finland.
The maximum design capacity of the canal for the navigation period is 11.5 thousand vessels in both directions, the maximum cargo turnover is estimated at 4.6 million tons. The duration of navigation is set annually by agreement of the parties depending on ice conditions (in 2014 the canal was closed with January 27 until April 5 for repair work). Movement is carried out around the clock.
Since 2012, navigation fees have been abolished for ships traveling through the Saimaa Canal.
The structures of the Saimaa Canal include eight locks, including five in Russia: No. 1 “Brusnichnoe” (level difference – 10.0 m); No. 2 “Iskrovka” (11.4 m); No. 3 “Flower” (5.5 m); No. 4 “Ilistoe” (10.2 m); No. 5 “Pälli” (11.7 m) and three in Finland: No. 6 “Soskua” (8.3 m); No. 7 “Mustola” (7.3 m); No. 8 “Myalkia” (12.4 m). Dimensions of the locks: length – 85 m; width - 13.2 m. Since 2002, all canal mechanisms have been remotely controlled from the Unified Shipping Center of the Saimaa System. Gateway processing takes no more than 10 minutes at each gateway. In addition, the complex of canal structures includes 12 road bridges (six each in Russia and Finland), of which seven are drawbridges (four in Russia and three in Finland) and two railway fixed bridges (one each in Russia and Finland).
In the vicinity of the Saimaa Canal, many historical sites have been preserved. First of all, these are old locks built in the 19th century. Many of them were during the reconstruction of 1963–1968. remained aside from the new channel and are now tourist sites.
In the Finnish city of Lappeenranta, not far from the Mälkia lock, in a building built in 1845, a canal museum has been operating since 1995, the exhibitions of which tell about its historical development and current state. Currently, tourist cruises along the Saimaa Canal have resumed, from the Russian Vyborg to the Finnish Lappeenranta, the entire journey along the canal takes a few hours.
D.V. Kozlov, K.D.
Kozlov
From May to September, a large and comfortable motor ship Camilla (Camilla) departs from cozy Lappeenranta, which is called the daughter of Saimaa. The locks through which the ship passes and the magnificent scenery leave an indelible impression on such cruises. Passing the lock is an exciting and spectacular event. The ship lowers and when the water level is leveled, the lock opens. Height difference up to 13 meters. At some point it even becomes scary.
The ship is modern and spacious, there is a large open upper deck with an enclosed terrace and a cafe. And below is a restaurant with a bar and an enclosed deck. There is a play corner for children. An audio guide in Finnish, German and English tells the history of Lappeenranta and Saimaa.
A wonderful opportunity to diversify a summer day with such a cruise - a pleasant pastime away from the bustle of the city and new experiences are guaranteed.
The motor ship Camille was built in France in 1987. Length 31.2 m, width 8.4 m, depth 1.6 m. The maximum number of passengers is 350.
From May 22 to September 1, departures are from Monday to Saturday. Cruise on the Saimaa Canal from 12.00 to 14.00. In July - additionally on Saturdays from 15.00 to 17.00 and on Sundays from 14.00 to 16.00. Cruise along the canal and archipelago of Lake Saimaa from 18.00 to 21.00.
Tickets can be purchased on the embankment, near the Camilla ship.
For custom cruises, the route, program and menu are compiled taking into account the individual wishes of the client.
Cruise schedules and prices: http://www.karelialines.fi/camilla/russia.html
