Vchynice-Tetov Canal, Historic canal in Srní, Czech Republic

The Vchynice-Tetov Canal is a 13.6 km timber-floating channel in the Šumava mountains, built 1799–1800 to bypass the boulder-strewn Vydra below Antýgl and link it to the Křemelná. Its upper stretch runs about 3.2 km along a contour with a gradient of roughly 3 per mille, in a sandy channel 3 to 5 m wide and about 1 m deep.

The canal was built between 1799 and 1800 on the orders of the Schwarzenberg family to move timber out of the Šumava forests by water. It formed part of a wider transport network the family created to manage their vast woodland holdings in southern Bohemia.

The canal is named after Chinitz-Tettau (Vchynice-Tetov), the settlement at its head, not after two villages it connected. Timber settlements such as Schätzenwald, Schätzenreith, Mosau and Grünberg grew up along its course. A marked cycling and hiking trail follows most of the route.

The canal path can be joined at several points along its length, so visitors can choose how much of it they want to walk. Sturdy footwear is a good idea, as the ground can be uneven and muddy in wet weather.

The canal maintains an almost level water surface along its entire length even though the surrounding terrain slopes noticeably. Achieving this in 1799 required careful surveying by hand, and the result is that water barely seems to move as it travels through the mountains.