Vraňany - Hořín Canal, Navigation canal between Vltava and Elbe Rivers in Vraňany, Czech Republic

The Vraňany - Hořín Canal is a navigable waterway in Central Bohemia, Czech Republic, linking the Vltava River to the Elbe through a series of lock chambers. The channel runs through flat lowland terrain and is open to both commercial and recreational vessels.

The canal was built in the early 20th century to improve navigation between the Vltava and Elbe river basins, with construction completed in 1905. It became part of a broader effort to develop inland waterways across Bohemia during that era.

The Hořín lock is a two-chamber lock and a technical monument, not a national cultural monument. The canal is used by rowers for long-distance races on the upper section and by boaters returning from Mělník to Vraňany. The Vltava cycling path crosses the Hořín lock.

The canal can be visited year-round, and the best way to explore it is on foot along the towpath that runs beside the water. Morning visits tend to be quieter, and the lock areas offer good spots to watch boats pass through.

The canal is a built section of the planned Danube–Oder–Elbe canal that was to link Hamburg, Prague and Klosterneuburg. Since 2019–2021 seven fixed bridges were rebuilt and four made liftable, including a stone lift arch at Hořín and the first railway lift bridge in Czechia, all operated remotely from the Hořín lock.