In the last few sailing seasons, about 700-1,000 leisure boats have sailed through the Canal.

History of the Saimaa Canal

A water-route from Lake Saimaa to the Gulf of Finland and on to Europe is an old idea. The first attemps to construct the Saimaa Canal were made at the beginning of the 16th and 17th centuries. The first Saimaa Canal with 28 locks was completed in 1856.

In the 1920s the construction was started again, because the canal was too small. Approximately 40 % of this 2nd construction phase was completed by the Second World War. After WWII half of the Canal was in the territory of the Soviet Union and the water-route from Lake Saimaa to the sea was cut for over 20 years.

The construction of the present Saimaa Canal started in 1963 and it was made possible by the agreement between Finland and the Soviet Union, by which the Soviet Union leased the Soviet part of the Saimaa Canal to Finland for 50 years. The construction of the new Canal with its eight locks was completed in 1968.

In the last few years, the traffic has been very lively; goods traffic has amounted to 1.5-1.8 million tons and passenger traffic and boating have been very popular.

The route offers

• The extraordinary experience of sailing through the territorial waters of Russia to the Saimaa Canal, a valid passport and advance notification are required.
• A possibility of calling at the port of the city of Vyborg in Russia, to do this you need a valid passport and visa.
• The eight locks of the Saimaa Canal, five of them are in Russian territory, the personnel at the locks is Finnish.
• Most beautiful surroundings in the land of the midnight sun.
• A well marked network of freeways in Lake Saimaa, with a total length of over 3,000 kilometers.
• Good yachting harbors in the largest towns and municipalities in the Lake Saimaa area.
• The Savonlinna Opera Festival in July and other summer events in the Lake Saimaa area.
• A chance to learn to know one of the most beautiful lake areas in the world; the waterways of Lake Saimaa are unique, the last lake-wilderness area in Europe.
  
  The above is a short list of some of the experiences offered by this new route. A trip to the Saimaa Canal is well worth your while.