Dnieper–Bug Canal, Transportation canal in Brest Region, Belarus.
The Dnieper–Bug Canal is a 196 km waterway from Brest to Pinsk, of which 105 km is artificial channel. It links the Mukhavets and Pina rivers, with a 58 km watershed pound between the canalized sections of the two rivers.
The canal was built between 1775 and 1784 under Stanisław August Poniatowski, the last king of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and was first named the Royal Canal. In 1784 the king officially opened navigation, sailing on a dugout oak boat. After the partitions the canal fell into disuse; Russia resumed work in 1837 and completed it around 1846–1848, and in 1847 it was renamed the Dnieper–Bug Canal.
The canal's name changed with its rulers: Kanał Królewski (Royal Canal) under Stanisław August Poniatowski, then Dneprovo-Bugski in 1847. Near Kobryn, the Voloka River and the village of Mukhovloki recall the ancient portage that preceded the waterway.
The canal is open to boat traffic from spring through autumn, with the most stable water levels during these months. The middle of summer offers the best conditions for passage, as water depth is greatest and maintenance work on locks is typically minimal.
The movable weirs between Brest and Pinsk numbered 22 by 1867, and in 1940 eight locks replaced them during the Soviet reconstruction, when a 23 km stretch near Kobrin was straightened. The 1952–1956 works added concrete hydroelectric nodes at Kachanovichi and Stakhovo.
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