Rideau Canal

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Rideau Canal
UNESCO world heritage UNESCO World Heritage Emblem

Rideau Canal.jpg
The Rideau Canal joins the Ottawa River
National territory: CanadaCanada Canada
Type: Culture
Criteria : (i) (iv)
Reference No .: 1221
UNESCO region : Europe and North America
History of enrollment
Enrollment: 2007  (session 31)
Locks of the Rideau Canal in the 19th century
The frozen Rideau Canal in Ottawa used as an ice rink

The Rideau Canal ( French Canal Rideau ), sometimes also referred to as Rideau Waterway , is a canal in the Canadian province of Ontario . It connects the capital Ottawa on the Ottawa River with the city of Kingston on Lake Ontario . The 202 km long canal, named after the Rideau River , opened in 1832 and is the oldest continuously used man-made waterway in North America. In 2007 UNESCO declared the Rideau Canal a World Heritage Site .

geography

The 202 kilometers of the waterway include longer developed sections on the Rideau River and the Cataraqui River , as well as various lakes. Only around 19 kilometers are artificially created. Communities along the waterway are Ottawa , Smiths Falls , Merrickville , Westport , Battersea, and Kingston .

There are a total of 47 locks at 24 locations. Ships up to 27.4 m (90 feet ) long , up to 7.9 m (26 feet) wide and 6.7 m (22 feet) high can operate on the canal during normal operation . Ships up to 33.5 m (110 feet) long and 9.1 m (30 feet) wide are permitted in special circumstances.

In winter, when the canal freezes over, a 6.4 km section in downtown Ottawa is officially the world's largest ice skating facility . Almost 2 km after the inlet of the Rideau River, the usable ice surface begins at the Hartwell locks at Carleton University . It widens at Dow's Lake, which measures approximately 300 × 600 m, and runs again as a narrow canal to the bridge of Wellington Street at Château Laurier . Behind the 400 m chain of locks leads down to the Ottawa River.

history

Shortly after the British-American War of 1812, when there was still a threat of US attack on the British colony of Upper Canada , the construction of a canal was proposed. During this time the British built several canals and fortresses to prevent possible future American invasion attempts.

The original purpose of the Rideau Canal was military in nature. The canal was intended to provide a secure supply and communication route between Montreal and Kingston. From Montreal, inland shipping would first run west along the Ottawa River to Bytown (now Ottawa), then southwest through the canal to Kingston and there into Lake Ontario. The intention was to bypass the section of the Saint Lawrence River directly on the border where British supply ships would have been attacked or blocked.

Lt. Col. John By of the Royal Engineers oversaw the construction of the canal. Various private investors took over the financing. Irish and French-Canadian workers did the real work. Around a thousand workers died of malaria , other diseases and accidents. Shortly after the construction work was completed, a cholera epidemic broke out, claiming further deaths.

Construction lasted five years and was completed in November 1831. The official opening took place on May 24, 1832. The cost of construction was £ 822,000, well over budget. John By was therefore ordered back to London and had to justify himself to a parliamentary commission of inquiry. The commission acquitted him of any wrongdoing.

There was no further military conflict between Canada and the United States, so the Rideau Canal never served its intended purpose.

Today the Rideau Canal is only used for tourism. Tours of the canal are available in Ottawa. There are numerous opportunities to hike, cycle or enjoy the landscape on the canal. Most locks are still hand operated. The Rideau Canal has been a National Historic Site since 1925 .

literature

Movies

  • The Rideau Canal in Canada. Documentary, Germany, 2011, 43:16 min., Script and director: Horst Brandenburg, production: BRB Filmproduktion, SWR , arte , editing: countries - people - adventure , series: Kanalreisen, first broadcast: July 5th, 2011 by arte, summary and film scenes from SWR.
  • The Rideau Canal in Canada. A romance between technology and nature. Documentary, Germany, 2011, 14:53 min., Script and director: Horst Brandenburg, production: SWR , series: Schätze der Welt , first broadcast: February 12, 2011 on SWR, synopsis with online video from SWR.

Web links

Commons : Rideau Canal  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rideau Canal National Historic Site. In: Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved October 6, 2012 .

Coordinates: 45 ° 25 ′ 33 "  N , 75 ° 41 ′ 50"  W.