The Corinthian channel - from dream to reality

Even in ancient times, people were puzzled by the need to connect the Ionian and Aegean seas through the Corinthian Isthmus by building a canal. All attempts turned out to be a failure, because due to the difference in the water level in the two seas, there was a high probability of a flood in the construction of the canal. And only after several thousand years of fruitless attempts, the dream of many was finally realized: the Corinthian canal was built, and the two seas met, which actually made Greece an island.

The first information about the attempts to build the canal belongs to the 7th century BC. The initiator of the work on the construction of the waterway was the Corinthian ruler Periander. An interesting point is that the works were stopped not for technical reasons, but because of Periander's predictions from the oratory of Pythia that the construction of the canal would provoke the wrath of the gods.

Nevertheless, the idea of building a canal through the isthmus has always been relevant. Above it, thought such great ancient rulers as Demetrius, Polyointret, Caesar, Caligula. Nero actually started construction, sending about six thousand slaves for this job. But then the canal was not destined to be built again, since the emperor had to leave for Rome, in which an uprising broke out against Nero. After his death, the successor did not deem it necessary to continue construction, and all the works were stopped. After the fall of the Roman Empire , Venetians and Byzantines were unsuccessfully accepted for the construction of the canal. In modern times, one of the key plans for the construction was the Corinthian Canal. Greece, under the leadership of its first president, Jonannis Kapodistriya, also failed to translate this dream of many generations into reality.

The project of the construction of the Corinthian channel again began to gain popularity after the commissioning of the Suez Canal. Construction in 1869 was documented by the Greek government. The authors of the project were István Türr and Bel Gerstvier - Hungarian architects, who took part in the construction of the Panama Canal. Work on construction began in 1882. Thanks to the use of a large number of workers and the most modern technology at the time, the Corinthian Canal was built in record time. The beginning of its exploitation falls on 1893.

The Corinth Canal has a length of 6 kilometers, a depth of 8 meters, and the height of its calcareous walls is 76 meters. Three automobile bridges and one railway bridge pass through the channel. The Corinthian channel is a significant achievement for its time, because thanks to the canal, the sea vessels that used to go past the Peloponnese now could cut about 400 kilometers of the way.

At present, due to its narrowness for modern ships, the channel has practically lost its significance. Nevertheless, even now about 15 thousand different ships pass through it annually. In addition, the Corinthian Canal, a photo of which can be seen in every list of Greek attractions, attracts thousands of tourists.