Göta Canal

Göta Canal, Sweden

Göta Canal, Swedish Göta Kanal, artificial waterway that crosses southern Sweden to connect Lake Vänern with the Baltic Sea. For most of its course, the canal passes through lakes, providing inland navigation from Gothenburg to Stockholm, a distance of 558 km (347 miles) by the canal route and 950 km (590 miles) on the Baltic. The trans-Sweden canal route has 97 km (60 miles) of artificial works and includes 65 locks. The Göta River drains Lake Vänern and, with locks to surmount the falls at Trollhättan, is part of the waterway.

The idea of a trans-Sweden waterway has a long history. Gustav I Vasa (king of Sweden, 1523–60) suggested building a canal through the Eskilstuna River, which was completed in 1610, and several other canal sections were built over the next 200 years. A company to connect the Göta River to Lake Vänern was formed in 1790, and the first section, the Trollhätte Canal, was completed in 1800, allowing seagoing craft to pass from Gothenburg to Karlstad and other ports on Lake Vänern. The Göta Canal proper was opened in 1822. It leads from Sjštorp to Viken on the other major Swedish lake, Vättern, and then to Mem on Slätbaken, an inlet of the Baltic, using two small lakes, Boren and Roxen, on the way.