Once upon a time, a grand vision took root right here at the Donau-Oder-Kanal Becken I. It was a vision of connecting two mighty rivers. The Danube and the Oder would be linked by a man-made waterway.
The Donau-Oder-Kanal was planned to stretch from Vienna to Cosel. Cosel is now known as Koźle in Poland. This ambitious project aimed to join the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. It was part of the European waterway E 30.
Emperor Charles IV had this dream in the 14th century. He envisioned a navigable link between the Oder and Danube. Ideas resurfaced in the 19th century. The Austrian government even held a contest in 1903. They sought designs for a ship lift near Prerau. It needed to be 35.9 meters high. Over 200 designs were submitted.
The Nazis revived the canal plans in the 1930s. They envisioned a 320-kilometer waterway. It would start at the Oder near Cosel and end in Vienna. The canal would overcome a 124-meter elevation difference. Rudolf Hess inaugurated the Adolf Hitler Canal in 1939. This is now the Gleiwitzer Kanal. He also broke ground for the Oder-Donau Canal. Work stopped on the Upper Silesian side in 1940.
Of the planned 40 kilometers in Austria, only a few were built by 1940. These sections were in Lobau and near Groß-Enzersdorf. These are four short stretches called DOK I-IV. The first part of the Donau-Oder-Kanal, DOK I, is visible here. It is on the northeastern shore of the Tankhafen Wien-Lobau. The remaining three sections, DOK II-IV, are now used for recreation. They are popular for swimming and fishing.
Sections DOK III and IV were divided into plots in the 1960s. They now form a small garden settlement. These parts lie outside Lobau. Most of them are in Lower Austria. DOK II is about 1.2 kilometers long. It lies in the Lobau nature reserve. This area is part of the Donau-Auen National Park. Unlike the other sections, it remains natural. It serves as a bathing lake. The Lobau part of the Donau-Oder-Kanal is the widest. It is also the largest of the four completed sections.
Kanal-Becken II and III are called Zweierkanal and Dreierkanal by Vienna. Local residents formed a water cooperative. It maintains and restores DOK IV.
Poland revived part of the plan between 1964 and 1970. They completed a branch off the Gleiwitzer Kanal. This is now the Kandrziner Kanal. It connects the Azoty Kędzierzyn AG nitrogen plants to the Oder.
In the 1990s, Austria and the Czech Republic promoted further construction. There were strong environmental concerns. The WWF presented a study in 1999. It stated that construction would affect 61 nature reserves. These reserves covered 400,000 hectares. Poland and the Czech Republic continued to pursue the plans despite criticism. In 2018, costs were estimated at 10.9 billion euros. The Czech Republic began preparations for a first section.
Environmentalists criticized the canal. They also opposed the river development needed for shipping. This included the Oder River. In 2015, the German transport minister signed a controversial agreement with Poland. Poland continued Oder development. This was despite a Polish court ruling against it. After a massive fish die-off in 2022, Germany called for a halt.
The Czech Republic abandoned the canal project in 2023. They released the land for other uses. This likely ended the controversial project. It had aimed to connect the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
Now, as you stand here at Donau-Oder-Kanal Becken I, remember the grand dreams. Think of the emperors, engineers, and controversies that shaped this place. It remains a testament to both human ambition and the power of nature.