Corinth Canal, Ship canal in Corinthia, Greece
The Corinth Canal is a man-made waterway in the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece that stretches for 6,343 meters and connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf. Vertical limestone walls rise on both sides of the canal, forming a narrow passage for ships traveling between the Ionian Sea and the Aegean.
In 67 AD, Emperor Nero started construction with thousands of workers, but the effort was abandoned after his death. French engineers resumed the project in 1881 and completed the work in 1893, after removing more than 12 million cubic meters of rock.
The two stone plaques at the canal are inscribed in Hungarian as well as Greek, honouring the Hungarian engineers István Türr and Béla Gerster who supervised the 1881–1893 construction. At both ends, lowering bridges sink into the water on a motor-driven mechanism when a ship approaches.
Viewing platforms at both ends of the canal allow visitors to watch ships passing through and see the depth of the rock walls. The canal is open for ship traffic during daylight hours, with passage depending on vessel size and weather conditions.
Nero's workers left a relief of Hercules on the north side of the cutting at the Gulf of Corinth end, below an old bridge foundation. The 6,000 Judean prisoners dug shafts at the ridge to test the rock; these were reused for the same purpose in 1881.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,358 contributors worldwide.
