Finow Canal

canal, Germany

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June 26, 2026

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coal barges Coal barges on the Finow Canal at Eberswalde, Germany.

The Finow Canal is a historic waterway in Germany, originally built in 1669 and later rebuilt in 1751. It runs along the Havel River to the Liepe, a tributary of the Oder River. This canal, along with others like the Plauer Canal, was part of an extensive system developed under Frederick William, the Great Elector of Brandenburg, and Frederick I of Prussia. The goal was to link the Elbe, Oder, and Weser rivers, facilitating commerce and bypassing tolls charged by various states within the Holy Roman Empire.1

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canals and inland waterways
Germany
The 40-km (25-mile) Finow Canal along the Havel to the Liepe, a tributary of the Oder, had been built earlier but fell into decay because of flooding and neglect and was not rebuilt until 1751. Thus, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, under Frederick William, the…
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The 40-km (25-mile) Finow Canal along the Havel to the Liepe, a tributary of the Oder, had been built earlier but fell into decay because of flooding and neglect and was not rebuilt until 1751. Thus, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, under Frederick William, the…
Read More

Eberswalde
…with the construction of the Finow Canal in the 17th century. Traditional industries were given new impetus in the mid-18th century by the settlement of Thuringian cutlers and in the 19th century by the rise of what is still Europe’s largest marine and industrial crane factory. The Oder-Havel Canal (completed…
Read More
…with the construction of the Finow Canal in the 17th century. Traditional industries were given new impetus in the mid-18th century by the settlement of Thuringian cutlers and in the 19th century by the rise of what is still Europe’s largest marine and industrial crane factory. The Oder-Havel Canal (completed…
Read More